Larson explains loyalty to Ganassi

Kyle Larson

The NASCAR courtship of Kyle Larson mostly came down to cash. Because the driver didn't have any to offer, choosing a team was an easy decision. "I got to come down to Charlotte and meet with a lot of team owners and stuff, and every single one of them was like, 'Oh yeah, we'd love to do something with you, but we need a half-million dollars,' " Larson said on this week's NASCAR on NBC podcast.

"I earned all my rides. I didn't bring money to any ride." During the new podcast episode, which will be released early Wednesday morning, Larson explains the yearlong process that led to signing with Chip Ganassi Racing after meeting with several teams in the Sprint Cup Series during the 2011 season in which he became a breakout star in USAC. Aside from Ganassi, virtually every team either asked Larson to bring sponsorship or couldn't guarantee him a long-term plan to reach Cup.

"If anyone knows Chip, all of his conversations, at least with me and most people, are really short," said Larson, who also offers a brief impersonation of his team owner during the podcast. "Within the first minute probably of talking to him, he was 'Oh yeah, how do we sign you up?' So I was like, 'Well, this is awesome. He's the only guy who didn't mention a thing about any money.'
"I definitely have to be loyal to him for giving me a shot and taking a big chance on me. It was a huge gamble for this team and Target on a 19-year-old kid from California." NBC Sports