Daytona to Dirt: Kyle Larson the Show at Volunteer, Kasey Kahne Misses WoO Show

With NASCAR racing on the Bristol Dirt Track on Easter Sunday (April 9), a number of Cup Series regulars took to actual dirt tracks as well over the last week.

Chase Briscoe

The Cup Series regular raced a super late model in the Kyle Larson Late Model Challenge at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. Thursday night (April 6) and had a rough go of it. Contact with the wall during qualifying saw Briscoe miss both his heat race and B-main, necessitating the event to issue him a promoter’s provisional to start the feature, where he finished 18th.

Race fans would find out later in the weekend at Bristol that Briscoe in fact broke a finger on his left hand in the incident and had to drive NASCAR double duty with a dressing on his hand.

Kyle Busch

The Cup Series regular also ran a super late model at Volunteer on Thursday and had to rely on a promoter’s provisional to make the show; Busch actually turned laps in both his heat race and B-main however, with Larson even noting post-race that Busch was visibly improving behind the wheel over the course of the night.

The bigger story relating to Busch came days later courtesy of Flo Racing, with car “owner” Brandon Overton noting he stands ready to put Rowdy back in a late model whenever his schedule allows in 2023.

Tyler Dippel

The former Truck Series regular qualified for the first race of the Short Track Super Series Elite tour Saturday at the Orange County Fair Speedway in New York. Dippel finished 21st after breaking a shock with two laps to go in the feature.

Jerry Hill

The former Truck Series regular recovered from a lap 1 wall-scrape to score a second-place finish in the Delaware Super Trucks feature Friday night at the reconfigured Georgetown Speedway in Delaware.

Kasey Kahne

The former Cup Series regular endured a rough weekend in the Midwest. Friday night at US-36 Raceway in Missouri saw Kahne miss a transfer spot to the A-main in his heat race by mere feet after underdog Garet Williamson passed Kahne exiting turn 4 coming to the checkers. A bad run in the ensuing Last Chance Showdown race buried Kahne for the feature, culminating in a rough tumble in turn 3.

Kahne was fortunately uninjured, but the misfortune of his weekend wasn’t over. Kahne was again forced to the Last Chance Showdown for the Jason Johnson Classic at 81 Speedway Saturday after the team discovered a bent wheel during his heat race, ultimately scratching from the B-main and failing to start the feature. 

Kahne sits 13th in WoO points after missing his first feature of the 2023 campaign.

Kyle Larson

The Cup Series regular put on a show at Volunteer Speedway Thursday night in more ways than one, promoting a jam-packed show and ultimately winning the $20,000 super late model feature that evening.

Larson was also seen post-race at the track catering to the large crowd that packed the Bulls Gap oval.

Ken Schrader

The former Cup Series regular enjoyed a strong weekend behind the wheel of his modified. Schrader started off Friday night at the Lincoln Speedway in Illinois, winning his heat race and finishing second in the feature event.

Saturday night was more of the same, with Schrader finishing third in the modified feature at Springfield Raceway in Missouri.