NASCAR.com
Holly Cain
Kyle Larson isn't just ready to race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, he's ready to help someone else race there too as part of a special mentorship program with sponsor AXE.
Larson, 22, had to sit out the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last race, two weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway, after fainting at an autograph session the day before the race. Ultimately doctors concluded he was severely dehydrated, but he was hospitalized for two nights while undergoing exhaustive tests.
This week, he returns to the wheel of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet and in between his driving duties, he will be mentoring a teenager who competes in the Legends Series at TMS. It's all part of the AXE White Label Collective, which will be selecting an additional five racing "enthusiasts" for another dream opportunity to meet Larson, tour the Chip Ganassi Racing shop and NASCAR Hall of Fame and spend time getting racing advice from Larson.
Grammy Award winner John Legend is doing a similar program with AXE for aspiring musicians.
"Should be a lot of fun,'' Larson said. "I guess you could say I've mentored some people, mostly friends, just advised them on some things at sprint car races and stuff.
"This will be cool because I get to hang out with someone I've never met before and try to help him out while he races his Legends car. I hope he enjoys having me there and that I can help him out any way I can. I'm really looking forward to it."
Larson, the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year, is still looking for his first Sprint Cup Series win after collecting 17 top 10s last year including three runner-up finishes. He had a fifth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway in the 2014 version of Saturday's Duck Commander 500 (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX) and feels extremely positive about his chances this week.
"I like Texas, it's a fun track and it's pretty tricky,'' Larson said. "Me missing Martinsville last week definitely makes me more anxious to get back in the race car for this weekend. I hope we can get there and be fast. I always want to get that first win and Texas would be a fun place to get it done."
It would be the ultimate lesson from a mentor, who in Larson's case was his father, Mike.
Racing was always a family affair for the Larsons -- mom and sister were trackside too. And Larson is deeply appreciative of the sacrifices and support he received.
"My dad was definitely my mentor growing up, especially in go-karts and outlaw car stuff,'' Larson said. "He was the one working on the cars, getting us to the race track, putting in hours and hours doing that just so I could go out there and fun.
"I don't know what I would do or would have done without having my dad as a mentor. I don't know if you would even enjoy racing as much without people there to help you. I hope with me doing this for someone in Texas it will get him even more excited about racing.
"Anything I can help with will be good."
Part of this White Label Collective philosophy is turning "aspiration into action" and that's exactly what Larson was able to do thanks to his father's mentorship. And it's a concept that Larson would like to pass along.
"I think it's really fun to get to do something different like this,'' Larson said of the program. "Chip Ganassi Racing is pretty good at coming up with new ideas through their partners to do cool things like this.
"It's something different to help out a young kid. It's going to be a lot of fun and maybe we can stay connected and help out even more down the road. That would be cool."
Fans can register for the opportunity to be "mentored" by Larson by visiting the Chip Ganassi Racing's team Facebook page or axewhitelabel.com.