Motorsport: NASCAR star hoping for weather luck

Kyle Larson in action at Western Springs on Boxing Day. Photo / Jeremy Ward

American NASCAR star Kyle Larson is hoping for a little luck from the weather gods ahead of tonight's second round of the International Midget Series at Baypark in Mt Maunganui.

The 25-year-old came to New Zealand last summer but his only race meeting was rained out. Returning this summer he impressed with some dominant performances in the heats at Vodafone Speedway Western Springs on Boxing Day night before rain washed out the feature race a lap into it.

"It stinks that we got rained out there," Larson told The Herald. "We got the start in but then the rain came in. I don't know what they'll do. Hopefully they will let us run two features at the next meeting."

The five-time race winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series spun on his opening lap as he adjusted to the surface at Western Springs but didn't put a foot wrong for the rest of the night and qualified on the front row for the feature race.

"Our car was really good though, all day long," he said.

"The lap that we got, it felt good in the feature.

"We passed cars every time we were on the track so that was good."

Larson has spent a little time in New Zealand before but will mix some sight-seeing into his short trip to New Zealand. He has five race meetings in just under two weeks so there isn't a lot of time to go tripping around.

"We will probably go to Rotorua before we go to Baypark," he explained. "I have never been to Waiheke Island but everybody says to check that out so I might go on the ferry and go over there.

"The city is fun itself so we will hang out around there as well."

The series moves back to Auckland on Saturday.