Kyle Larson waits in his car during practice for Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (The Associated Press)
CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson can't be goaded into setting an unreasonable expectation for his Sprint Cup debut.
He knows what Jamie McMurray did in 2002, when he grabbed an improbable victory for Chip Ganassi Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his second career Cup start.
But as Larson heads into Saturday night's race at Charlotte for his Cup debut, he's not expecting a trip to Victory Lane.
He'll instead settle for a top-20 finish and a learning experience. Larson comes into his first Cup race amid high expectations. He has been lauded as the next big thing in NASCAR by everyone from Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, and he doesn't want to disappoint.
Larson's ride to the top has been fast, too. He'll replace Juan Pablo Montoya next season in the No. 42 for Ganassi.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.