It's hard to see the name Kyle Larson and not think about everything that happened to him over the past year or so. Back in April 2020, Larson, who is also an accomplished sprint car and midget car driver, was suspended from the NASCAR Cup Series and fired from Chip Ganassi Racing after saying a racial slur during an iRacing event. The NASCAR driver is now signed to Hendrick Motorsports, where he drives the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro.
Alongside the northern California native for his entire controversial journey has been his wife, Katelyn Larson. Hailing from Grass Valley, California, Katelyn Sweet officially became Katelyn Larson on September 26, 2018. Together, Katelyn and Kyle have two children, Owen Miyata Larson and Audrey Layne Larson, and live in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Katelyn, an avid runner and former horseback rider, may be a mom of two, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't like to party from time to time. Who can forget the time she was the star of the NASCAR Awards back in 2019?
Katelyn Larson Shotguns Beer at NASCAR Awards
There goes our hero, @mrs_klarson!
After shotgunning a beer at the @MonsterMile, @KyleLarsonRacin's wife did it again at the @NASCAR Awards! pic.twitter.com/rgQAGwdf1d
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) December 6, 2019
NASCAR likes to do award shows a little bit differently than the average organization, and nothing showed that more than when Katelyn Larson shotgunned a beer at the NASCAR Awards show in Nashville, Tennessee on December 4, 2019.
Katelyn proved how sweet she really is (get it? because her maiden name is Sweet?) when she threw back a Busch tallboy like she was at a Talladega tailgate. ended up going viral on social media.
Now, before you go getting your undies in a bunch: Yes, we realize that Katelyn didn't actually shotgun a full Busch tallboy, as the 16-ounce can appears to be either empty or mostly empty. So, yeah, maybe the stunt wasn't entirely legit, but shotgunning a pre-opened beer still beats most of the hokey gimmicks you see at award shows these days.
As you may know, Larson's Busch moment was a homage to her celebratory shotgun at victory lane at Dover International Speedway back in October 2019, after Kyle won the playoff race at the Monster Mile. As you can see from the below footage, Katelyn's excitement over her husband's big win led to a, lets just say, not-so-successful shotgun.
Katelyn (you can check her out on Instagram at mrs_katelynlarson) has been around professional race car drivers for most of her life. Not only is she Kyle Larson's wife, but Katelyn's brother is Brad Sweet, who is a World of Outlaws racer for Kasey Kahne Racing.
In any case, that probably means she's shotgunned a fair share of beers in her day. But, hey, even the pros can get rusty.
This post was originally published on April 14, 2020.
