Kyle Larson Tops World Aviation Charts As Rick Hendrick & Co. Pave Way For Knoxville

Kyle Larson’s Richmond Raceway run instantly translated into global attention after he finished sixth in the Cook Out 400 on Saturday night. As soon as he crossed the finish line at 10:17 p.m., he skipped media and boarded a waiting private jet. His aircraft, tail number N501KL, took off from Richmond and flew to Pella, Iowa—the closest airport to Knoxville—drawing live-tracker interest within minutes. By late Saturday night, N501KL was the top tracked flight on Flightradar24 worldwide, with 7,705 users watching the trip in real time, while fans at Knoxville followed it on a giant video board. The move was tied to a schedule reshuffle: Knoxville Nationals moved back a week to overlap Richmond’s Saturday race for 2026, and rain delays created the window for Larson to travel and race. He won Thursday’s feature in his Paul Silva No. 57 sprint car, earning pole for the $200,000-to-win A-Main.