Marcus Ericsson

# Marcus Ericsson

## Abstract

Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson (born 2 September 1990) is a Swedish professional racing driver. He competes in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Global and is the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner. Ericsson previously competed in Formula One between 2014 and 2018.

After a successful debut in car racing in 2007 which saw him take the British Formula BMW title with Fortec Motorsport, he moved up into the British team's British Formula Three Championship squad. After finishing as one of the top rookies in the category, Ericsson turned his attentions to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship where he won the championship in his debut year. In 2010, he moved up to the GP2 Series where he secured one victory during his maiden campaign for Super Nova Racing. Between 2011 and 2012, Ericsson drove for iSport. Ericsson completed the 2013 GP2 season with DAMS, and debuted in Formula One in 2014 with Caterham F1.

## Early career

### Karting

Born in Kumla, Örebro County, Ericsson's first taste of motorsport came when he was nine years old racing in karts. "I got a call from Fredrik Ekblom, whom I ran in British Formula 3000 and Indy Lights. He now runs a kart circuit and he told me about a nine-year old kid who'd walked in off the street and nearly broke the lap record", recalled Richard Dutton, head of Fortec Motorsport. Ekblom managed to convince Ericsson's father, Tomas, to buy his son a kart and the young Swede stayed in karting for the next four years, "I'd never really thought about racing as a career. My family didn't have the money for me to race formula cars so we never thought about it", Ericsson said.

In 2006 Ericsson's career got backing from former Champ Car driver and 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Bräck, who said:

I spotted Marcus at a race in Gothenburg. He didn't win the race because his engine blew up with two laps to go but he was clearly the best out there. He didn't get caught in any battles when passing – he'd just wait for the right opportunity, then he pounced and he was away. He has such patience but when he does go for it, it measures so perfectly. He reminded me of watching Alain Prost.

### Formula BMW

Bräck convinced Richard Dutton, who ran Bräck in the British Formula Three Championship in 1989, to race Ericsson for his Fortec Motorsport team's 2007 Formula BMW UK title challenge. Ericsson said of his chances during the season, "I was thinking that I should be around top eight to start with, trying for podiums and maybe wins by the end of the year". Ericsson's first win came at the first meeting of the series at Brands Hatch where he took third place in the first race and won from pole position in the second race. Following his win, Ericsson was described by Autosport as "the best young talent" Bräck had ever seen. Ericsson was in the title race for the whole season, challenging Czech Josef Král and Brit Henry Arundel. In the end, Ericsson, aged 16, won the title by 40 points from Kral, becoming the final Champion of the British Formula BMW series before the series merged with the German series to make a European championship.

### Formula Three

Following his win of the Formula BMW title, Ericsson began aiming for a seat in Formula Three. Tests followed with the British Formula 3 team Räikkönen Robertson Racing as part of his prize for winning the title that year. Afterward Ericsson had a test with frontrunning Formula 3 Euro Series team ASM, later ART Grand Prix. Despite an offer to join ASM, Ericsson opted to stay in England and join Fortec's British Formula 3 team. Ericsson received with two pole positions and a handful of podium finishes, but no victories, which gave him fifth overall in the championship.

During the winter of 2008, Ericsson signed a contract with the Japanese F3 team TOM'S to compete full-time in the championship for the upcoming 2009 season. Ericsson said that he was more likely to gain the experience needed to win the Macau Grand Prix in comparison to competing further in the British championship. Ericsson won the Japanese F3 championship and also won races when making guest appearances back in British F3. He consequently participated in the Macau Grand Prix where he qualified in pole position and finished the main race in the fourth position.

### GP2 Series

Ericsson moved into the GP2 Asia Series for the 2009–10 GP2 Asia Series, driving originally for the ART Grand Prix team. However, it was later confirmed that Ericsson would drive for Super Nova Racing in the 2010 GP2 Series, although he was replaced with Jake Rosenzweig for the final two rounds. Ericsson returned to Super Nova for the GP2 Series, partnering Josef Král and later Luca Filippi. He took his first series victory at Valencia, but only scoring points on two further occasions restricted him to seventeenth place in the drivers' championship.

Ericsson switched to the iSport International team for 2011, alongside Sam Bird. He finished sixth in the Asia series championship, and tenth in the main series championship. He remained with iSport for 2012, alongside Jolyon Palmer. He won at Spa, beginning a run of six consecutive points finishes to the end of the season, including two podium finishes. This lifted him to eighth in the championship.

In 2013, he got the chance to drive for the reigning champions DAMS, taking pole positions in Spain and Great Britain. In Germany, he won the feature race, and he continued with podium positions in Hungary, Belgium, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi to finish sixth in the championship.

## Formula One

Ericsson drove for Brawn GP at the young driver test at Circuito de Jerez over three days, on 1–3 December 2009. He tested alongside IndyCar Series driver Mike Conway. Conway had the edge by three-tenths of a second, however team principal Ross Brawn commended Ericsson for his performance, saying that he had "performed very well showing exceptional maturity in his approach and feedback".

### Caterham (2014)

On 21 November 2013, It was announced that Ericsson was a candidate to drive for the Caterham F1 Team in 2014 with Kamui Kobayashi as teammate. On 21 January 2014, the team announced that Ericsson and Kobayashi would be their race driver line up for the forthcoming season, with Robin Frijns as reserve.

Ericsson qualified 20th in his debut race– the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, running 11th before he fell back with oil pressure problems. In Malaysia, he qualified last, finishing 14th in front of main rival Max Chilton. In Spain, he outqualified Kobayashi for the first time in his career, but he was behind both Marussia cars. He finished the race in 20th position, the last classified finisher. In the next race, the Monaco Grand Prix, he was involved in a collision with Williams driver Felipe Massa during qualifying, which resulted in Massa not advancing to the second part of the qualifying session. Ericsson was penalised with two penalty points and had to start from the pit lane. He finished in 11th place, just missing out on his and Caterham's first points.

After this, he suffered a crash in the rain in Hungary, when he lost control of his car on the exit of turn 3 and hit the barriers. He was unhurt, but the car was destroyed. In the Belgian Grand Prix he battled with the Marussias again, losing 16th place to Chilton on the penultimate lap. In Singapore, he finished in 15th place and in Japan, he out-qualified both Marussias and Kobayashi for 19th position. He started 17th, but spun behind the safety car in heavy rain, and had to fight back from last place. He finished 17th, in front of both Marussias and Kobayashi, but his performance was overshadowed by the crash of Bianchi. At the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, he qualified in a career-best 17th position, missing out on making it into Q2 by only 0.15 seconds. During the race, he started 16th but fell back, finishing 19th overall but in front of his main rivals– the other Caterham and the sole Marussia of Chilton, who both eventually retired from the race.

Due to Caterham F1 falling into administration on 21 October 2014, neither team driver was able to compete at the United States Grand Prix. Despite this, Ericsson flew to Texas to commentate the race for Swedish television and secured a new drive for 2015. Ericsson terminated his contract with Caterham on 12 November. He eventually finished the season in 19th position, highest of the Caterham drivers that took part in 2014.

### Sauber (2015–2019)

#### 2015

At the 2014 United States Grand Prix, on 1 November 2014, Sauber announced that it had signed Ericsson for 2015. In his first race with the team in Australia, Ericsson finished in eighth position, recording the first points-scoring finish by a Swedish driver since Stefan Johansson finished third at the 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix.

Malaysia was the first time that Ericsson made it into Q3, qualifying 10th but was ultimately promoted to 9th. He spun on the fourth lap after an unsuccessful overtaking attempt on Force India 's Nico Hülkenberg which resulted in retirement. In China, Ericsson again made it into Q3 in qualifying, again qualifying 10th. He finished the race in the same position, scoring one point after Max Verstappen 's engine failed with only a few laps remaining. In Bahrain he qualified outside the top 10, and held eighth position when a pit stop error caused him to fall down the field, and he ultimately finished the race in 14th position. In the first European leg of the season he finished 14th in Spain and 13th in Monaco.

In the 2015 British Grand Prix he finished 11th – just outside the points. He scored one more point before the summer break, with a 10th-place finish in Hungary, followed by another 10th position in Belgium. At the Italian Grand Prix Ericsson qualified for Q3, where he ended up 10th, before he was given a grid penalty for blocking Nico Hülkenberg in Q1. Ericsson eventually finished 9th – taking his fifth points position for the year and again being in front of teammate Felipe Nasr.

During the summer break, Sauber announced that Ericsson along with Nasr had both extended their deals with the team for the 2016 season.

#### 2016

In 2016, Sauber missed pre-season testing due to financial concerns hurting their car development for 2016. Ericsson was running 15th before vibrations forced his retirement in Australia and finished twelfth in Bahrain in the next round. He ran just outside the points in China but steadily dropped to sixteenth, which was still enough to finish ahead of his teammate. In Russia he recovered from contact on the first lap of the race to take 14th at the finish. In Spain he finished twelfth, but in Monaco he was deemed to be at fault for a collision with his teammate, resulting in a grid penalty for Canada that made him start from the back. The following races saw him finishing 17th in Baku and 15th in Austria, with qualifying crashes in Silverstone and Hungary forcing him to start from the pit lane.

In Monza, he finished 16th whilst in Singapore he made it into Q2 and was close to scoring his first point until a strategic error from the team. He ran close to the points in Malaysia and Suzuka, in front of his teammate in qualifying and the race. In Austin, he ran 11th for part of the race but dropped to 14th by the checkered flag, and in Mexico he recovered from a first lap crash to finish eleventh, just outside of the points. He crashed out of the race in Brazil but finished 15th in Abu Dhabi.

#### 2017

Ericsson's 2017 campaign did not start well as a hydraulic issue in Australia caused him to have to retire. He qualified 14th and finished 15th in China. He struggled to match his teammate Wehrlein in Bahrain with his race ending in another retirement caused by a gearbox failure. He finished 15th in Russia, ahead of his teammate for the first time over the season. Ericsson got his best result of the season of 11th in Azerbaijan where he fought for points with his teammate. Sauber started to struggle in Monaco with Ericsson crashing into the barrier while overtaking the safety car to get on the lead lap. He finished 13th in Canada and would fail to score points for the rest of the season.

#### 2018

For 2018 Ericsson retained his seat at Sauber, which became the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team in partnership with the Italian car maker. Alongside him was new teammate Charles Leclerc. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Ericsson finished in ninth place, scoring his first points since the 2015 Italian Grand Prix, after a total of 49 races without scoring a point. He then scored further points at the Austrian, German, Belgian, USA and Mexican Grands Prix. At the Italian Grand Prix, Ericsson had a high speed accident in second practice, when his DRS system failed, causing the car to lose control into turn 1 and slam the wall. Ericsson's car rolled three times before coming to rest on its wheels, but he was uninjured.

#### 2019

Just before the 2018 Russian Grand Prix it was announced that Ericsson was to be replaced at Sauber by Antonio Giovinazzi, but would remain with the team as their third driver and brand ambassador.

## IndyCar

On 30 October 2018, it was announced that Ericsson would race full-time for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in the 2019 IndyCar Series.

### Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (2019): Rookie Season

During his rookie year, Ericsson scored a podium finish at the Detroit Grand Prix. In September, he missed the Grand Prix of Portland as he was on standby for an injured Kimi Räikkönen at the Belgian Grand Prix; Räikkönen would ultimately run the race. Ericsson ended the 2019 season 17th in points.

### Chip Ganassi Racing (2020–2023)

#### 2020: Sophomore Season

Ericsson moved to Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2020 IndyCar Series season. During the pandemic shortened season he scored top ten finishes in over half of his races, with his best result being a fourth-place finish at the second race Road America.

#### 2021: Breakout Season

Ericsson was confirmed for longer tenure with Chip Ganassi in October 2020, re-upping for at least another two seasons. 2021 would be Ericsson's breakout year in IndyCar. Although he had middling performances compared to teammates Scott Dixon and Álex Palou before the 2021 Indianapolis 500 Ericsson would outscore both his teammates and the entire IndyCar field following the Indianapolis 500. Ericsson scored his first win in IndyCar and his first win in any category since 2013 in GP2 when he won the first race of the doubleheader in Detroit, a race in which Ericsson benefited from the misfortune of race leader Will Power after Power's car refused to restart during a formation lap following a red flag incident at the end of the race. Ericsson finished second to Josef Newgarden at Mid Ohio and picked up a second victory at the chaotic inaugural round at Nashville, putting him into contention of the series title. Although he would hold top-ten finishes throughout the rest of the season Ericsson would be mathematically eliminated from the championship after a sixth-place finish at Laguna Seca. Ericsson would end the season in 6th place in the driver's championship with 435 points.

#### 2022: Indianapolis 500 winner

Ericsson continued to show pace in his third season with Chip Ganassi Racing. He recorded his first podium finish on an oval at the XPEL 375 at the Texas Motor Speedway with a third-place finish. Ericsson, sporting a helmet painted in honor of his countryman and Formula One legend, Ronnie Peterson, won the 2022 Indianapolis 500 under caution after holding off Pato O'Ward on a late restart. Ericsson became the second Swedish driver to win the Indianapolis 500, after Kenny Bräck in 1999. Ericsson's win in the 500 plus solid early season results vaulted him into the points lead of the IndyCar Series championship for the first time in his career. His title challenge continued with a six-race streak of successive top ten finishes, however a second place at Road America ended up being the final podium of his campaign. The Swede finished sixth in the drivers' standings, being beaten narrowly by teammate Palou.

#### 2023

Ericsson started his 2023 campaign by winning the first race of the season in St. Petersburg. Ericsson finished second in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 after being overtaken by Josef Newgarden on the final lap. Ericsson would finish 6th in the standings for the third consecutive year.

### Andretti Autosport (2024-Present)

On 23 August 2023 it was announced that Ericsson would be leaving Chip Ganassi Racing and joining Andretti Autosport for 2024.

## Family

Ericsson's younger brother Hampus is also a racing driver.

## Racing record

### Racing career summary

Season still in progress.

### Complete Formula BMW UK results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete British Formula Three Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete Japanese Formula 3 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

#### Complete GP2 Asia Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

#### Complete GP2 Final results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

### American open-wheel racing results

#### IndyCar Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Season still in progress.


Hits Radio UK

# Hits Radio UK

## Abstract

Hits Radio UK, formerly The Hits, is a British digital radio station based in Manchester and London, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom.

As of March 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 4.5 million listeners according to RAJAR.

The station provides the network feed for all Hits Radio network stations.

## Overview

The national station launched on 1 April 2003 as The Hits. The station was rebranded on 4 June 2018 as Hits Radio UK. It relays its programming to the Hits Radio network, opting out with UK wide news & information, traffic bulletins and advertising.

Hits Radio UK broadcasts on DAB in many parts of the UK and online.

## Technical

The launch of Hits Radio UK in 2018 saw the station added to DAB multiplex transmissions in a number of local areas - mostly those served by Arqiva 's NOWdigital multiplexes, as well as being made available on the CE Birmingham multiplex (replacing 'Magic Soul') and in stereo in London (replacing Kerrang! Radio and Absolute Radio 70s, which were removed on 23 May and replaced with a Hits Radio UK placeholder).

Hits Radio UK replaced The Hits on Bauer's DAB multiplexes and on the Arqiva-operated commercial Freeview multiplex. In addition, the new network was provided over the Sky satellite TV platform, on a channel previously occupied by Absolute Radio 70s.

On 13 December 2023, Hits Radio was removed from Sky, along with every other radio station owned by Bauer Media on the platform, including Absolute Radio, Absolute Radio 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Absolute Radio Classic Rock, Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, Jazz FM and Planet Rock.

On 2 April 2024, Hits Radio was removed from Freeview, along with other Bauer Media radio stations on the platform, including Greatest Hits Radio, Kerrang! Radio, Kiss, Kiss Fresh, Kisstory and Magic Radio.


Virgin Radio UK

# Virgin Radio UK

## Abstract

Virgin Radio UK is a national Hot Adult Contemporary radio station in the United Kingdom and Tenerife that launched on 30 March 2016, owned by News Broadcasting which is itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is the second incarnation of Virgin Radio in the UK: the original station launched in 1993 before being rebranded as Absolute Radio in 2008.

As of September 2023, the station has a weekly audience of 1.4 million listeners according to RAJAR.

## History

The station launched at 11:00 on 30 March 2016 on a Virgin Trains service from Manchester to London by Edith Bowman and Matt Richardson and the first song played was a live cover version of David Bowie 's song " Changes " by Gavin James.

At launch, Virgin Radio UK broadcast to about 75% (now 83%) of the UK population via the Sound Digital DAB ensemble, and also broadcasts via online streaming to computers, mobile device applications and internet radios. It can be received outside the UK via the mobile app and website.

The broadcasts are presented live from 04:00 to 22:00 with overnight shows being automated. The playlist is varied focusing mainly on pop music ranging from the 80's through to current day.

On 3 September 2018, Chris Evans announced that from January 2019 he would be moving to Virgin Radio after 13 years of broadcasting on BBC Radio 2. He launched his new breakfast show on 21 January 2019.

On 7 January 2019, Virgin Radio joined the Sky and Freesat satellite platforms.

In January 2021 Graham Norton started a weekend show after 10 years at Radio 2. As with Chris Evans' show, it is distinguished by not having advertisements due to being wholly sponsored. Norton announced suddenly he’d leave the station on 24th Feb 2024, with his last show the following day on Sunday 25th Feb.

## Sister stations

Wireless launched two new Virgin-branded DAB+ spin-off stations on 21 December 2018. Virgin Radio Anthems plays guitar-based classics from the 1980s and 1990s. Virgin Radio Chilled features acoustic singer-songwriters and is designed to unwind and relax. Both stations broadcast The Chris Evans Breakfast Show. When Virgin Anthems launched in December 2018, the station changed its slogan to "The Chris Evans Breakfast Show and Classic Tracks".

On 30 December 2019, Virgin Radio UK launched a third digital spin-off station – Virgin Radio Groove – on DAB+. It consisted of motown, soul and disco music and broadcasts The Chris Evans Breakfast Show at breakfast. The station closed in 2022.

In June 2021 a temporary station launched for the LGBTQ+ community, Virgin Radio Pride; It featured many different programmes and documentaries presented by a wide variety of presenters. Virgin Radio Pride returned for a second run during summer 2022.

On 1 September 2022, the sister station Virgin Radio 80s Plus was launched, which plays the artists of the 1980s, plus the best music from the late 1970s and early 1990s. Virgin Radio 80s Plus can be heard online, on smart speakers across the UK and on DAB in Greater London and the Central Belt of Scotland. It replaces Virgin Radio Pride on DAB radio.

## Presenters

### Current presenters

### Former presenters


Capite

# Capite

## Abstract

In old English law, a capite (from Latin caput, head) was a tenure in subinfeudation, by which either person or land was held immediately of the king, or of his crown, either by knight-service or socage. A holder of a capite is termed a tenant-in-chief.

Tenures in capite were abolished by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660.


The Golden Key (MacDonald book)

# The Golden Key (MacDonald book)

## Abstract

The Golden Key is a fairy tale written by George MacDonald. It was published in Dealings with the Fairies (1867).

It is particularly noted for the intensity of the suggestive imagery, which implies a spiritual meaning to the story without providing a transparent allegory for the events in it.

## Plot summary

A young boy listens to his Great-aunt's stories about a magical golden key found at the end of a rainbow. One day, he sees an immense rainbow and sets out to find its end in an enchanted forest. As the forest is in Fairyland where everything has an opposite effect, the rainbow only glows brighter when the sun sets. He finds the key, then it dawns on him that he does not know where the lock is.

In the same village on the border of this forest, a merchant's neglected daughter is frightened by the fairies. Their first attempt fails but when they make her think the three bears are coming into her bedroom, she flees into the woods.

A tree tries to trap her, but a feathered airborne fish frees her, then leads her to a wise woman's cottage. A pot is boiling there, and the air fish flies into it. The lady asks her name; the girl says that the servants always called her Tangle, and the lady decides that although her tangled hair was their fault for not looking after her, Tangle is a pretty name. She says she is called Grandmother, and that it has been three years since Tangle ran away from the "bears". She has the girl washed by fish and dresses her. Then they eat the air fish for dinner after the lady assures her that the air fish had voluntarily gone into the pot to be their food, and the cooking pot produces a little-winged figure, who flies off.

The lady sends another air fish after the young man at the foot of the rainbow. At supper the next day, the young man, Mossy, arrives. The lady tells Mossy that if he searches for the keyhole, he will find it, and sends Tangle with him. In their wanderings, they come across a valley where beautiful shadows fill the air, where they stay, grow old, and then resolve to find the land the marvelous shadows fall from; but they become separated so they each continue their journey alone.

Tangle meets with the winged aëranth (air-flower) that used to be the fish, who leads her to the mountain. There she meets the Old Man of the Sea. He cannot tell her the way to the land from which the shadows fall and sends her to his brother the Old Man of the Earth. He also does not know and sends her to the Old Man of the Fire.

She throws herself in and at the end of the hole, finds the Old Man of the Fire. This Old Man turns out to be youngest of all, a wise child arranging colored spheres in a significant way. After giving her protection from the fiery path, he sends her out following a snake, which will lead her to that land.

Mossy also finds the Man of the Sea, rightly recognizing him as death, and he gains the power to walk across the sea. After climbing a precipice, he enters a chamber where the colors of the rainbow appear as columns of light. Tangle is waiting for him. She shows him another door that his key unlocks, opening onto a glowing stairway to the land they were searching for, from which the shadows fall. As they start to climb, the story ends.

## Interpretation

Many of the central symbols of "The Golden Key" revolve around death and the hope of an afterlife. MacDonald draws on Christian, classical, and Norse mythology. Bifrost is a rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. This bridge connects to the divine.

## Editions

An edition was published in 1967 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux with illustrations by Maurice Sendak and an Afterword by W. H. Auden.

A 2016 edition produced by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers was illustrated by Ruth Sanderson.

Final Draft 12 uses a screenplay adaptation of the book for a sample script.


The Net (1995 film)

# The Net (1995 film)

## Abstract

The Net is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, and Dennis Miller. The film was released on July 28, 1995.

In the film, a systems analyst with few personal contacts learns that all records about her life have been deleted, and that her house has been emptied and must find a way to reclaim her original identity.

## Plot

United States Under Secretary of Defense Michael Bergstrom commits suicide after being informed that he has tested positive for HIV.

Angela Bennett is a freelance systems analyst worker in Venice, California. All of her relationships are almost completely online and on the phone, with the exception of forgettable interactions with her neighbors and visits to her mother, who is institutionalized with Alzheimer's disease and often forgets who she is.

Bennett's co-worker, Dale, in San Francisco, sends her a floppy disk of the game "Mozart's Ghost" with a backdoor labeled " π " that permits access to a commonly used computer security system called "Gatekeeper" sold by Gregg Microsystems, a software company led by CEO Jeff Gregg.

Dale and Bennett agree to meet the next morning, as he is planning on taking his own plane, but the navigation system in Dale's private aircraft malfunctions and the plane crashes into a tower, killing him.

Bennett travels to Cozumel, Mexico, on vacation, where she meets Jack Devlin. After seducing Bennett, Devlin pays a mugger to steal her purse as they walk along the beach. He chases the mugger into the bushes, catches the mugger, and roots through the purse to find the disk before shooting the mugger dead.

He takes Bennett out on his speedboat to kill her as well, but she finds his gun and confronts him. While fleeing with the disk and Devlin's wallet, Bennett's dinghy collides with rocks. She is unconscious in the hospital for three days.

When Bennett wakes up, she finds that the disk was ruined by the sun and all records of her life have been deleted: She was checked out of her hotel room in Cancun, her car is no longer at the airport parking lot, and her credit cards are invalid. Bennett's home is now empty and listed for sale.

Moreover, because none of the neighbors remember her, they cannot confirm her identity. Bennett's Social Security number is now assigned to a "Ruth Marx", for whom Devlin has entered an arrest record by using the Gatekeeper backdoor to hack the police computer system.

When Bennett calls her own desk at Cathedral Software, an impostor answers and offers Bennett her old life back in exchange for the disk. She contacts the only other person who knows her by sight, psychiatrist and former lover Alan Champion. He checks her into a hotel, offers to contact a friend at the FBI, and arranges to have her mother moved for her safety.

Using her knowledge of the backdoor and a password found in Devlin's wallet, Bennett logs into the Bethesda Naval Hospital 's computers and learns that Under Secretary of Defense Bergstrom, who had opposed Gatekeeper's use by the federal government, was murdered by altering the results of his HIV test leading to a misdiagnosis. Fellow hacker "Cyberbob" connects π with the "Praetorians", a notorious group of cyberterrorists linked to recent computer failures around the country. Bennett and Cyberbob plan to meet, but the Praetorians intercept their online chat. Bennett escapes from Devlin — a contract killer for the cyberterrorists, but the Praetorians kill Champion by tampering with pharmacy and hospital computer records. After Bennett is arrested by the California Highway Patrol, a man identifying himself as Champion's FBI friend frees her from jail. She realizes he is an impostor and escapes again, resulting in the impostor's death in a car crash.

Now wanted for murder and thought to be Ruth Marx, Bennett hitchhikes to Cathedral's office where, using her impostor's computer, she connects the cyberterrorists to Gregg Microsystems and uncovers their scheme: once the Praetorians sabotage an organization's computer system, Gregg sells Gatekeeper to it and gains unlimited access through the backdoor. Bennett emails evidence of the backdoor and Gregg's involvement with the Praetorians to the FBI from the Moscone Center and tricks Devlin into releasing a virus into Gregg's mainframe, destroying Gatekeeper and undoing the erasure of her identity. During a battle on the catwalks of the convention center, in which Devlin accidentally kills the Bennett impostor from Cathedral Software (the real Ruth Marx), Bennett ambushes Devlin with a fire extinguisher, causing him to fall to his death. Bennett regains her identity, home, and life. She then reunites with her mother, and the conspiracy is exposed, with Jeff Gregg being arrested by the FBI, live on television.

## Cast

- Sandra Bullock as Angela Bennett

- Jeremy Northam as Jack Devlin

- Dennis Miller as Dr. Alan Champion

- Diane Baker as Mrs. Bennett

- Wendy Gazelle as Ruth Marx / "Angela Bennett"

- Ken Howard as Bergstrom

- Ray McKinnon as Dale

- Gerald Berns as Jeff Gregg

## Production

In October 1994, Bullock committed to filming The Net from mid-January through April 10, 1995. The Net was filmed in San Francisco's Moscone Center on Thursday, January 5, 1995, during Macworld as well as at Washington, D.C., locations in April 1995.

## Reception

### Box office

With an estimated budget of $22 million and a release date of July 28, 1995, The Net grossed $50.7 million in the United States and Canada. Including foreign markets, the film grossed $110.6 million worldwide.

### Critical response

Based on 58 reviews, it has an average score of 5.3 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes with 43% of critics giving positive reviews. The site's consensus states: "The premise isn't without potential and Sandra Bullock is as likable as ever, but The Net lacks sufficient thrills – or plausible plot points – to recommend catching." Metacritic, using a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, describing The Net as basically an update of an Alfred Hitchcock trope ("Innocent Person Wrongly Accused"), which was in parts contrived but carried by Bullock's naturalistic performance. Owen Gleiberman, writing for Entertainment Weekly, complimented Sandra Bullock's performance, saying, "Bullock pulls you into the movie. Her overripe smile and clear, imploring eyes are sometimes evocative of Julia Roberts ". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

## Sequel and spin-off TV series

A sequel named The Net 2.0, starring Nikki DeLoach as Hope Cassidy and directed by Charles Winkler, son of Irwin Winkler, was announced in February 2005. It was released direct-to-video in 2006, and was about a young systems analyst who arrives in Istanbul for her new job, to find that her identity has been stolen.

The film spawned an American spinoff television series of the same name, starring Brooke Langton as Angela Bennett.


Cargo cult

# Cargo cult

## Abstract

Cargo cult is a term used to denote various spiritual and political movements that arose among indigenous Melanesians following Western colonisation of the region in the late 19th century. Although the term "cargo cult" has been used by anthropologists to "label almost any sort of organised, village-based social movement with religious and political aspirations", features common to most cargo cult groups include the presence of charismatic prophet figures foretelling an imminent cataclysm and/or a coming utopia for followers—a worldview known as millenarianism. Claims made by these prophets varied greatly from movement to movement, with some predicting the return of the dead or an abundance of food. Some movements sought to appease "ancestral spirits or other powerful beings" by either reviving ancestral traditions or adopting new rituals, such as ecstatic dancing or imitating the actions of colonists and military personnel. Some groups foretold the coming of a bounty of Western goods or money as part of their prophecy, although this was not a universal feature of such movements, with other prophets telling their followers to abandon Western goods. Anthropologists have described cargo cults as rooted in pre-existing aspects of Melanesian society, as a reaction to colonial oppression and inequality disrupting traditional village life, or both.

Groups labeled as cargo cults were subject to a considerable number of anthropological publications throughout the 1960s. After Melanesian countries gained political independence, few new groups matching the term have emerged since the 1970s, with some surviving "cargo cult" groups transitioning into indigenous churches and political movements. The term has largely fallen out of favour and is now seldom used among anthropologists, though its use as a metaphor (often based on ideas of "cargo cults" as engaging in ritual action to obtain material goods) is widespread outside of anthropology in popular commentary and critique, based on stereotypes of cargo cultists as "primitive and confused people who use irrational means to pursue rational ends". Recent scholarship on "cargo cults" has challenged the suitability of the term for the movements associated with it, with recent anthropological sources arguing that the term is born of colonialism and prejudice and does not accurately convey the diversity or nature of the movements within the label, though some anthropologists continue to see the term as having some descriptive value, despite the "heterogeneous, uncertain, and confusing ethnographic reality".

## Origin of the term and definitions

The term "cargo cult" first appeared in print in the November 1945 issue of Pacific Islands Monthly, in an entry written by Norris Mervyn Bird, an ‘old Territories resident’, who expressed concern regarding the effects of World War II, the teachings of Christian missionaries and the increasing liberalisation of colonial authorities in Melanesia would have on local islanders.

Stemming directly from religious teaching of equality, and its resulting sense of injustice, is what is generally known as ‘Vailala Madness’, or ‘Cargo Cult’.... A native, infected with the disorder, states that a great number of ships loaded with ‘cargo’ had been sent by the ancestor of the native for the benefit of the natives of a particular village or area. But the white man, being very cunning, knows how to intercept these ships and takes the ‘cargo’ for his own use... By his very nature the New Guinea native is peculiarly susceptible to these ‘cults’

Previous similar phenomena, first documented in the late 19th century, had been labelled with the term " Vailala Madness ", to which the term "cargo cult" was then retroactively applied. Bird took the term from derogatory descriptions used by planters and businessmen in the Australian Territory of Papua. From this issue, the term became used in anthropology following the publications of Australian anthropologists Lucy Mair and H. Ian Hogbin in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Peter Worsley defined cargo cults as follows in his 1957 book The Trumpet Shall Sound:

strange religious movements in the South Pacific during the last few decades. In these movements, a prophet announces the imminence of the end of the world in a cataclysm which will destroy everything. Then the ancestors will return, or God, or some other liberating power, will appear, bringing all the goods the people desire, and ushering in a reign of eternal bliss. The people therefore prepare themselves for the Day by setting up cult organizations, and by building storehouses, jetties, and so on to receive the goods, known as ‘cargo’ in the local pidgin English. Often, also, they abandon their gardens, kill off their livestock, eat all their food, and throw away their money.

In 1964, Peter Lawrence described the term as follows: "Cargo ritual was any religious activity designed to produce goods in this way and assumed to have been taught the leader by the deity".

Anthropologist Lamont Lindstrom has written that some anthropologists consider the term to be a "false category" because it "bundles together diverse and particular uprisings, disturbances, and movements that may have little in common". Lindstrom also writes that "anthropologists and journalists borrowed the term to label almost any sort of organised, village-based social movement with religious and political aspirations", and that their usage of the term "could encompass a variety of forms of social unrest that ethnographers elsewhere tagged millenarian, messianic, nativistic, vitalistic, revivalistic, or culture-contact or adjustment movements". Lindstrom writes that many anthropologists suggest that while "cargo" often signified literal material goods, it could also reflect desires for "moral salvation, existential respect, or proto-nationalistic, anti-colonial desire for political autonomy".

## Causes, beliefs, and practices

Elements that Ton Otto considered characteristic of many cargo cults include the synthesis of indigenous and foreign elements in the belief system, the expectation of help from the ancestors, the presence of charismatic leaders, and lastly, belief in the appearance of an abundance of goods. The indigenous societies of Melanesia were typically characterized by a " big man " political system in which individuals gained prestige through gift exchanges. The more wealth a man could distribute, the more people who were in his debt, and the greater his renown.

Many cargo cults existed in opposition to colonial rule, often linked to burdens placed on villagers by colonial authorities, such as head taxes.

Many cargo cult movements sought to revive ancestral traditions (often in the face of their suppression by missionaries or colonial authorities) such as kava drinking, and/or adopt new rituals such as ecstatic dancing or actions imitative of colonial practices, like flag-raising and marching.

Cargo cults often served to unite previously opposing groups. In some movements, the leaders engaged in authoritarian behaviour in order to uphold the new social order, with a particular focus on the issues of sorcery and sexual activity. In some movements sexual morality was relaxed, ignoring the pre-existing customs regarding exogamy and incest, while in other movements, strict celibacy policies were implemented.

Faced, through colonialism, with foreigners with a seemingly unending supply of goods for exchange, indigenous Melanesians experienced "value dominance". That is, they were dominated by others in terms of their own (not the foreign) value system. Many Melanesians found the concept of money incomprehensible, and many cargo cult movements ordered followers to abandon colonial money by either dumping it into the sea or spending it rapidly, with the prophets promising that it would be replaced by new money and they would be freed from their debts.

Since the modern manufacturing process was largely unknown to them, members, leaders, and prophets of the cults often maintained that the manufactured goods of the non-native culture had been created by spiritual means, such as through their deities and ancestors, or that an ancestor had learned how to manufacture the goods. These leaders claimed that the goods were intended for the local indigenous people, but the foreigners had unfairly gained control of these objects through malice or mistake. Thus, a characteristic feature of cargo cults was the belief that spiritual agents would, at some future time, give much valuable cargo and desirable manufactured products to the cult members.

## Examples

### First occurrences

Discussions of cargo cults usually begin with a series of movements that occurred in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The earliest recorded movement that has been described as a "cargo cult" was the Tuka Movement that began in Fiji in 1885 at the height of the colonial era's plantation -style economy. The movement began with a promised return to a golden age of ancestral potency. Minor alterations to priestly practices were undertaken to update them and attempt to recover some kind of ancestral efficacy. Colonial authorities saw the leader of the movement, Tuka, as a troublemaker, and he was exiled, although their attempts to stop him returning proved fruitless.

Cargo cults occurred periodically in many parts of the island of New Guinea, including the Taro Cult in northern Papua New Guinea and the Vailala Madness that arose from 1919 to 1922. The last was documented by Francis Edgar Williams, one of the first anthropologists to conduct fieldwork in Papua New Guinea. Less dramatic cargo cults have appeared in western New Guinea as well, including the Asmat and Dani areas.

### Pacific cults of World War II

The most widely known period of cargo cult activity occurred among the Melanesian islanders in the years during and after World War II. A small population of indigenous peoples observed, often directly in front of their dwellings, the largest war ever fought by technologically advanced nations. The Japanese distributed goods and used the beliefs of the Melanesians to attempt to gain their compliance. Later the Allied forces arrived in the islands and did this as well.

The vast amounts of military equipment and supplies that both sides airdropped (or airlifted to airstrips) to troops on these islands meant drastic changes to the lifestyle of the islanders, many of whom had never seen outsiders before. Manufactured clothing, medicine, canned food, tents, weapons and other goods arrived in vast quantities for the soldiers, who often shared some of it with the islanders who were their guides and hosts. This was true of the Japanese Army as well, at least initially before relations deteriorated in most regions.

In the late 1930s, the John Frum movement emerged on Tanna in Vanuatu. This tradition urged islanders to resume dancing and kava drinking (which had been suppressed by missionaries) and to maintain historic traditions. The movement predicted American assistance, which as foretold arrived in 1942. The movements rituals were influenced by Christianity, and also included similar elements to other cargo cults like "marching and drilling, flags and poles, and flowers". The John Frum movement has come to be described as the "archetypal" cargo cult.

### Postwar developments

With the end of the war, the military abandoned the airbases and stopped dropping cargo. In response, charismatic individuals developed cults among remote Melanesian populations that promised to bestow on their followers deliveries of food, arms, Jeeps, etc. The cult leaders explained that the cargo would be gifts from their own ancestors, or other sources, as had occurred with the outsider armies.

In attempts to get cargo to fall by parachute or land in planes or ships again, islanders imitated the same practices they had seen the military personnel use. Cult behaviors usually involved mimicking the day-to-day activities and dress styles of US soldiers, such as performing parade ground drills with wooden or salvaged rifles. The islanders carved headphones from wood and wore them while sitting in fabricated control towers. They waved the landing signals while standing on the runways. They lit signal fires and torches to light up runways and lighthouses.

In a form of sympathetic magic, many built life-size replicas of airplanes out of straw and cut new military-style landing strips out of the jungle, hoping to attract more airplanes. The cult members thought that the foreigners had some special connection to the deities and ancestors of the natives, who were the only beings powerful enough to produce such riches.

Cargo cults were typically created by individual leaders, or big men in the Melanesian culture. The leaders typically held cult rituals well away from established towns and colonial authorities, thus making reliable information about these practices very difficult to acquire.

Classification of groups as cargo cults was sometimes controversial. For example, the separatist Hahalis Welfare Society on Buka Island was classed by Australian authorities as a cargo cult, but this was denied by its leaders Francis Hagai and John Teosin.

## Current status

Some cargo cults are still active. These include:

- The John Frum cult on Tanna Island (Vanuatu)

- The Tom Navy cult on Tanna Island (Vanuatu)

- The Prince Philip Movement on the island of Tanna, which worships Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

- The Turaga movement based on Pentecost island (Vanuatu)

- Yali's cargo cult on Papua New Guinea (Madang region)

- The Paliau movement on Papua New Guinea (Manus Island)

- The Peli association on Papua New Guinea

- The Pomio Kivung on Papua New Guinea

However, as of 1993, Lamont Lindstrom reports that "many" Melanesian political movements "must take care" to "explicitly" deny any connection with the cults.

## Theoretical explanations

Anthropologist Anthony F. C. Wallace conceptualized the "Tuka movement" as a revitalization movement. Peter Worsley 's analysis of cargo cults placed the emphasis on the economic and political causes of these popular movements. He viewed them as "proto-national" movements by indigenous peoples seeking to resist colonial interventions. He observed a general trend away from millenarianism towards secular political organization through political parties and cooperatives.

Theodore Schwartz was the first to emphasize that both Melanesians and Europeans place great value on the demonstration of wealth. "The two cultures met on the common ground of materialistic competitive striving for prestige through entrepreneurial achievement of wealth." Melanesians felt "relative deprivation" in their standard of living, and thus came to focus on cargo as an essential expression of their personhood and agency.

Peter Lawrence was able to add greater historical depth to the study of cargo cults, and observed the striking continuity in the indigenous value systems from pre-cult times to the time of his study. Kenelm Burridge, in contrast, placed more emphasis on cultural change, and on the use of memories of myths to comprehend new realities, including the "secret" of European material possessions. His emphasis on cultural change follows from Worsley's argument on the effects of capitalism; Burridge points out these movements were more common in coastal areas which faced greater intrusions from European colonizers.

Cargo cults often develop during a combination of crises. Under conditions of social stress, such a movement may form under the leadership of a charismatic figure. This leader may have a " vision " (or "myth-dream") of the future, often linked to an ancestral efficacy (" mana ") thought to be recoverable by a return to traditional morality. This leader may characterize the present state as a dismantling of the old social order, meaning that social hierarchy and ego boundaries have been broken down.

Contact with colonizing groups brought about a considerable transformation in the way indigenous peoples of Melanesia have thought about other societies. Early theories of cargo cults began from the assumption that practitioners simply failed to understand technology, colonization, or capitalist reform; in this model, cargo cults are a misunderstanding of the systems involved in resource distribution, and an attempt to acquire such goods in the wake of interrupted trade. However, many of these practitioners actually focus on the importance of sustaining and creating new social relationships, with material relations being secondary.

Since the late twentieth century, alternative theories have arisen. For example, some scholars, such as Kaplan and Lindstrom, focus on Europeans' characterization of these movements as a fascination with manufactured goods and what such a focus says about consumerism. Others point to the need to see each movement as reflecting a particularized historical context, even eschewing the term "cargo cult" for them unless there is an attempt to elicit an exchange relationship from Europeans.

### Discourse on cargo cults

More recent work has debated the suitability of the term cargo cult arguing that it does not refer to an identifiable empirical reality, and that the emphasis on "cargo" says more about Western ideological bias than it does about the movements concerned. Nancy McDowell argues that the focus on cargo cult isolates the phenomenon from the wider social and cultural field (such as politics and economics) that gives it meaning. She states that people experience change as dramatic and complete, rather than as gradual and evolutionary. This sense of a dramatic break is expressed through cargo cult ideology.

Lamont Lindstrom takes this analysis one step further through his examination of "cargoism", the discourse of the West about cargo cults. His analysis is concerned with Western fascination with the phenomenon in both academic and popular writing. In his opinion, the name "cargo cult" is deeply problematic because of its pejorative connotation of backwardness, since it imputes a goal (cargo) obtained through the wrong means (cult); the actual goal is not so much obtaining material goods as creating and renewing social relationships under threat. Martha Kaplan thus argues in favor of erasing the term altogether, though other writers like Ton Otto have argued the term remains useful.

## As a metaphor

The term "cargo cult" is widely used negatively as a metaphor outside anthropology. Usage often relates to the ideas of desire (particularly for wealth and material goods) and relatedly consumerism and capitalism, ritual action and the expectation of rational results from irrational means, though the term has been used as a general pejorative for "almost anything that some critic depreciates".

## Works

- God Is American – 2007 film by Richard Martin-Jordan

- The Gods Must Be Crazy – 1980 film by Jamie Uys

- Island of the Sequined Love Nun – Novel by Christopher Moore

- Meet the Natives: USA – television series

## Filmography

- God is American, feature documentary (2007, 52 min), by Richard Martin-Jordan, on John Frum 's cult at Tanna.


Martin Hewitt (police officer)

# Martin Hewitt (police officer)

## Abstract

Martin James Hewitt CBE QPM (born 23 March 1966) is a senior British police officer, who has served as Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council from May 2019 to March 2023. On 15 September 2024, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper appointed him as the UK's first Border Security Commander.

## Early life and education

Hewitt was born on 23 March 1966 in London, England. He was educated at the Salesian College, Battersea, an all-boys Catholic grammar school in London. He would later attend the University of Leicester, completing a postgraduate diploma in criminal justice studies in 2000.

Hewitt's first career was in the military, serving in the British Army for seven years. Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant on 11 April 1987. He was promoted to lieutenant on 11 April 1989. He was transferred to the reserve of officers on 31 January 1993, thereby ending his active service.

## Police career

Hewitt moved to the police, joining Kent Police in 1993 and transferring to the Metropolitan Police in 2005. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2014. He was the Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner (Professionalism) until April 2016, when he became Assistant Commissioner (Territorial Policing). That role was renamed Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing in 2018, and he held it until the end of that year.

He had been deputy chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) since 2015. He took up his role as chair of the NPCC in April 2019, succeeding Sara Thornton, and with Mark Simmons succeeding him as Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing. He has also led national-level police responses to kidnap and adult sexual offences. His first interview, in January 2020, as head of the NPCC lays out his approach. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spoke as part of the government's team for daily briefings.

Hewitt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to policing.

## Personal life

Hewitt is divorced, with three children.

## Honours


Hasbro Entertainment

# Hasbro Entertainment

## Abstract

Hasbro Entertainment is a production and distribution company owned and operated by American toy and multimedia company Hasbro and launched on August 16, 2023. It succeeds Allspark, previously known as Hasbro Studios, as Hasbro's primary media production and distribution company and Entertainment One (or eOne for short). Hasbro acquired the latter in 2019, had its family brands division absorbed into this division and sold it to Lionsgate on December 27, 2023. Lionsgate then rebranded Entertainment One as Lionsgate Canada on June 7, 2024 according to the Canadian publication, Playback.

## History

### Background

Under the leadership of Brian Goldner as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), American toy company Hasbro was expanding into the audiovisual media industry, especially theatrical feature film productions. On August 22, 2019, Hasbro announced its purchase of the Canadian company Entertainment One (eOne) for about US$4 billion; Goldner led the acquisition. The deal was completed on December 30, 2019. Following the acquisition of eOne, Hasbro's own media production and distribution company Allspark (formerly known as Hasbro Studios) was folded into the acquired Canadian subsidiary, which was under the leadership of Darren Throop, president of family brands Olivier Dumont, and former HBO head of programming Michael Lombardo.

However, following the death of Goldner on October 12, 2021, the subsequent promotion of Chris Cocks (who was previously with another Hasbro division, Wizards of the Coast) as the CEO in early-2022, and after defeating a board challenge from a hedge fund company in June 2022 over the management of WotC, Hasbro announced in late-2022 their intent to sell most eOne assets with companies such as Fremantle (who dropped out of the bid), Lionsgate, Legendary, CVC Capital Partners and GoDigital Media Group bidding for the acquisition, a transaction that would place the distribution rights to the Hasbro Studios/Allspark library and newer Hasbro-related content back to Hasbro. It was ultimately decided that on August 3, 2023, Lionsgate would acquire the eOne assets for $500 million. The deal closed on December 27, 2023.

### Development

During its 2023 Q2 Earnings Conference Call in August 2023, Hasbro announced a new banner titled Hasbro Entertainment. The studio is being overseen by former Entertainment One executives Olivier Dumont as president, Zev Foreman as head of film, and Gabriel Marano as head of television. Dumont was quoted as saying, "We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter, building upon our rich heritage of storytelling to continue delighting audiences across generations. Gabe, Zev, and I look forward to working with the industry's best creative talent, studios, and distribution platforms to push the envelope with innovative storytelling that will let fans engage with their favorite brands like never before, while also building exciting new worlds and the next wave of Hasbro franchises for a growing audience."

Additionally, Tim Kilpin, President of Toy Licensing and Entertainment for Hasbro, was quoted as saying, "Entertainment is core to Hasbro's strategy and its mission to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Audiences can count on Hasbro to keep creating compelling and fun entertainment that brings to life our wide array of iconic brands, including Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, and Transformers, reaching audiences through varied platforms in ways that resonate in today's fast-paced world."

## Staff

- Olivier Dumont (president)

- Zev Foreman (head of film)

- Gabriel Marano (head of television) Cort Lane (kids' television VP)

- Cort Lane (kids' television VP)

## Subsidiaries

- Astley Baker Davies (70%, from Lionsgate Canada)

- Discovery Family Channel (40% with Warner Bros. Discovery)

- Left Foot Blue

- Cake Mix Studios

- SCG Characters LLC (from Saban Capital Group) SCG Power Rangers LLC SCG Luna Petunia LLC Treehouse Detectives LLC Saban Brands Voyagers LLC

- SCG Power Rangers LLC

- SCG Luna Petunia LLC

- Treehouse Detectives LLC

- Saban Brands Voyagers LLC

## Television

## Films


Kyle Larson

# Kyle Larson

## Abstract

If it doesn't rain in the capital in the early hours of the 19th, there will finally be forgiveness (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro for the same team, and part-time in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 17 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren. Before and throughout his stock car racing career, Larson has been highly successful in dirt track racing, with wins in countless prestigious events including the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He also raced in many other forms of racing as an overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race, having won the event with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2015. Larson was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. In 2024, Larson set a NASCAR record at Kansas for the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

## Racing career

### Early career

Born on July 31, 1992, in Elk Grove, California, Kyle Miyata Larson attended his first race with his parents a week after his birth. He began racing at the age of seven in outlaw karts in Northern California. As a teenager, he raced open-wheel cars, including the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, Silver Crown and sprint cars, competing for Keith Kunz Motorsports and Hoffman Racing with Toyota backing; During his early career in USAC, a series official gave Larson the nickname "Yung Money" in recognition of his talent. Larson also raced in World of Outlaws sprint cars and his first sprint car race win came at Placerville Speedway where he was one of the youngest drivers to ever compete. He won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in all three types of USAC cars in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat. He won two silver crown races that season and was named the 2011 Rookie of the Year. Larson holds the sprint car track record at Ocean Speedway in 2010. In 2012, he won six USAC National Midget races including the Turkey Night Grand Prix. Even during his stock car career, Larson continued racing open-wheel cars for midweek races in addition to going to New Zealand in some off-seasons to race.

### Stock cars

#### NASCAR K&N Pro Series and ARCA

While Larson expressed some interest in IndyCar racing, he was signed for the 2012 racing season by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) as part of the team's driver development program. In February 2012, Larson won his first race in a full bodied stock car in the Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna Speedway. A week later, he won again at the speedway during the World Series of Asphalt.

On June 9, 2012, Larson won his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Gresham Motorsports Park. He scored his second K&N Pro Series East win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On June 15, Larson finished 13th in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Michigan International Speedway for Eddie Sharp Racing.

On November 3, Larson won the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Championship with 2 wins and 12 top tens in 14 races, overcoming the five wins of Corey LaJoie (son of two-time Busch Series champion Randy). He also earned the K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year award. On June 7, 2014, Larson scored his first ARCA win at Pocono Raceway.

#### NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

On June 28, 2012, Larson made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports where he finished 10th.

On April 14, 2013, Larson scored his first Truck Series win at Rockingham Speedway in a close finish with Joey Logano. During the celebration, Larson performed donuts without his steering wheel on, a practice he had acquired when racing go-karts. The celebration prompted NASCAR to request him to keep it attached, regarding safety concerns because Larson would not have much control of the truck without the steering wheel.

In 2016, Larson drove the No. 24 truck for GMS Racing at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 4th. At Eldora Speedway, Larson scored his second career Truck Series win.

On February 28, 2020, Larson announced he would be re-joining GMS Racing to drive the No. 24 truck at Homestead-Miami Speedway to pursue a bounty offered by Kevin Harvick to full-time Cup drivers to beat Kyle Busch. Following his suspension from NASCAR, Larson was released from the team.

On March 17, 2021, it was announced that Larson will drive the No. 44 truck for Niece Motorsports at the inaugural Bristol dirt race. He finished 35th in the race.

In 2023, Larson scored his 3rd career Truck Series win at North Wilkesboro.

#### NASCAR Xfinity Series

In February 2013, it was announced that Larson would compete full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013, driving the No. 32 Chevrolet for Turner Scott Motorsports. On the last lap in the season opener at Daytona, Larson was involved in a violent crash when his car got caught onto the right side of Brad Keselowski 's car and then hit the outside wall. At the same time, he was hit in the right rear by Brian Scott which sent his car airborne hitting a crossover gate, and piercing the catch fence, completely ripping off the front end of his car. Larson came across the start-finish line in 13th. He was unharmed, but the debris hurt 28 spectators in the grandstands, two of whom were in critical condition. However, there were no deaths. In the season-finale at Homestead, Larson led the most laps but lost the lead to eventual winner Brad Keselowski with 3 laps remaining and finished 2nd. Larson earned the 2013 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first Asian-American and first Drive for Diversity participant to win a Rookie of the Year Award in one of NASCAR's national touring series.

Larson drove the No. 42 car on a part-time basis in 2014. On March 22, Larson scored his first career Nationwide Series win at Auto Club Speedway after a hard battle with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. Larson once again celebrated by doing burnouts in the infield without a steering wheel. In victory lane, Larson stated, "Those last 11, 12 laps were the longest laps of my life. I've been so close to winning so many times, but the fashion we did it in was extra special." At Charlotte Motor Speedway, he scored his second career Nationwide Series win.

In 2015, Larson ran part-time again for HScott Motorsports. He scored his 3rd career Xfinity Series win at Homestead and the first win for HScott Motorsports.

In 2016, Larson continued to drive the No. 42 car part-time for Chip Ganassi Racing. He scored 2 wins at Pocono and Texas.

In 2022, Larson drove the No. 17 car for Hendrick Motorsports at Road America where he finished 2nd to Ty Gibbs. On August 20, Larson scored his 13th career Xfinity Series win at Watkins Glen in the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports.

In 2023, Larson scored a win at Darlington after a dramatic finish with John Hunter Nemechek.

In 2024, Larson won at the Circuit of the Americas after overtaking a dueling Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on the final lap.

#### 2013

On August 27, 2013, The Charlotte Observer reported that Larson will drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing starting in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and would compete for the Rookie of the Year honors. The deal was officially announced on August 30. On October 1, it was announced that Larson would make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing to prepare for his rookie season. In his Cup Series debut, Larson started 21st and finished 37th after an engine failure on lap 247.

#### 2014: Rookie Season

In his Daytona 500 debut, Larson got into the wall twice and came down pit road in the early laps of the race. Despite the car being fixed, Larson spun out on lap 22. Later in the night race, he got wrecked by another rookie contender Austin Dillon who triggered a 7-car wreck on lap 163 and finished 38th. At Auto Club Speedway, Larson finished 2nd to Kyle Busch, his career best finish in the Cup Series.

At Richmond Raceway, Larson recorded a speed of 126.880 miles per hour (204.194 km/h). After qualifying was rained out, he earned the pole based on being the fastest in practice. On the first lap, Larson got spun out by Clint Bowyer while going into turn 1 and later finished in 16th.

At Michigan, Larson spun out on lap 7 while coming off at turn 2. Later in the race, he made a block on one of his strong supporters Tony Stewart while trying to go for the lead and the block damaged Stewart's grille. In response, Stewart tried to retaliate during a yellow-flag period. When told that Stewart was mad at him for the block, Larson shrugged it off replying "Tony being Tony, I guess. I was pretty tight on whoever was inside of me on the restart and I was looking in my mirror and saw him juke to the right so I juked to the right and he hit me and I don't know, he was just trying to teach me a lesson, I'm guessing." Before the Sonoma race, Stewart warned Larson, angrily saying "He'll learn not to block me anytime soon."

Larson earned his first Cup Series pole for the 2014 Gobowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway where he set the track record with a lap speed of 183.438 mph (295.215 km/h). He finished 11th in the race. Following the 2014 Cup Series season, Larson earned the Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award with 8 top fives and 16 top tens. His statistics being higher than other rookie seasons in history, such as those of Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon.

#### 2015

Larson began the season with a DNF at the 2015 Daytona 500. During an autograph session at Martinsville Speedway, Larson fainted and was hospitalized. He was replaced by Regan Smith. Two days later, Larson was released from the hospital with a diagnosis of dehydration as being the cause of the faint. After a disappointing season, he finished 19th in the points standings.

#### 2016

Larson began the season with a seventh-place finish at the 2016 Daytona 500, his first top 10 and first non-DNF. On May 21, 2016, Larson won the Sprint Showdown after edging out rookie contender Chase Elliott to earn a spot in the All-Star Race for the first time. At the 2016 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Larson took the lead on the final restart, but was caught by Joey Logano and hit the wall with two laps to go and finished 16th.

On August 28, Larson scored his first ever Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan. Larson's victory qualified him into the Chase for the first time in his career. In his first Chase appearance, Larson finished 18th at Chicagoland and followed up with a 10th-place finish at New Hampshire. Larson was eliminated from the Round of 16 at Dover where he finished 25th.

#### 2017

Larson began the season with a 12th-place finish at the 2017 Daytona 500 and followed up with 3 consecutive second-place finishes at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix that moved him up to 1st in the points standings. On March 26, Larson scored his second career Cup Series win at Auto Club Speedway. At Michigan, Larson scored his second win of the season.

At Kentucky, Larson started at the rear of the field after he was unable to set a qualifying time as he was stuck in an inspection. He finished second to eventual winner Martin Truex Jr. but lost his points lead in the standings when he was penalized 35 points for an improper rear brake cooling assembly. Crew chief Chad Johnston was suspended for three races and Tony Lunders took his place.

A week later, Larson won the pole for the Loudon's Overton's 301, but was forced to surrender it to Truex after failing post-qualifying inspection for an unapproved rear deck fin lid. He finished second in the race after starting 39th. On the final restart at the 2017 Pure Michigan 400, Larson restarted 4th and made a four-wide pass for the lead with 2 laps to go and went on to score his third straight Michigan win. He scored his fourth win of the season at Richmond (and his first win that is not a two-mile track) in the final race of the regular season.

Larson made it to the Round of 12 after he scored top 5 finishes at Chicagoland, New Hampshire, and Dover. At Kansas, Larson's championship hopes have dashed after an engine blew up on lap 72 that resulted in a 39th-place finish. After being eliminated from the playoffs, Larson finished 37th at Martinsville and Texas both due to crashes and a last-place finish at Phoenix from an expired engine.

#### 2018

Despite being winless throughout the 2018 season, Larson made it to the Playoffs by staying consistent with five second-place finishes, eight top 5's, and 13 top 10's. At Charlotte Roval, Larson led 47 laps and was in contention for the win until he was involved in a multi-car wreck on a late restart that also included playoff contenders Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Despite the car being heavily damaged as a result of the wreck, Larson was still able to advance to the Round of 12 after finishing 25th.

Larson experienced further bad luck at Talladega when a right front tire blew and spun out on lap 105 and finished 11th. 3 days later, the No. 42 team was docked 10 driver and 10 owner points after the team violated the damaged vehicle policy by using metal tabs instead of fasteners and/or tape to repair the torn right front fender. Larson was eliminated in the Round of 12 after he finished 3rd at Kansas fall race. He finished the season ninth in the points standings, the highest of the winless drivers in 2018 along with a third consecutive top 10 points finish.

#### 2019

Before the start of the 2019 season, Larson lost his primary sponsor DC Solar, whose headquarters had been raided by the FBI on December 18, 2018. Larson started the season with a 7th-place finish at the 2019 Daytona 500. At Atlanta, Larson led over 100 laps before he was penalized for speeding on pit road which sent him to the back of the field and finished 12th.

On February 26, 2019, Larson sparked controversy on the NBC Sports segment Splash & Go! with host Rick Allen when he jokingly implied that Hendrick Motorsports starts "cheating and finding some speed" a couple of months into the start of a season. Larson later apologized to Rick Hendrick for his comments. On the final lap at the Talladega spring race, Larson was involved in a major accident when his car went airborne and rolled over multiple times. He was uninjured.

On May 18, Larson won the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race. Following the Darlington race, Larson clinched his spot in the playoffs for the fourth straight year despite no wins.

On October 6, Larson ended his 75-race winless streak at Dover. The win secured him into the Round of 8. During the Talladega fall race, Larson was involved in a multi-car wreck on lap 108 that left him with a fractured lower rib. Despite a 4th-place finish at Phoenix, Larson failed to make the Championship 4. He finished the season sixth in the points standings, his career-best to date.

#### 2020 and suspension

Larson began the season with a tenth-place finish at the 2020 Daytona 500. During the Auto Club 400, Larson got turned into the turn 1 wall by Denny Hamlin, relegating him to a 21st-place finish. When the season was placed on hold after four races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Larson was seventh in the points standings with 2 top 10's and 1 top 5 finish.

On April 13, 2020, Larson was indefinitely suspended by Chip Ganassi Racing without pay after he used a racial slur during an iRacing event the day before. Shortly after Ganassi's announcement, NASCAR also suspended Larson indefinitely and ordered him to complete sensitivity training before he is allowed to race again. Larson would also be suspended by the World of Outlaws, but his suspension had lifted prior to their return to racing. Multiple corporations such as McDonald's, Credit One Bank, and Chevrolet also terminated their sponsorship of Larson. The following day, CGR fired Larson. Matt Kenseth took over the No. 42 car for the rest of the 2020 season.

In October 2020, after months of inactivity on social media, Larson posted an essay on his website, apologizing for using the slur and denying that it was representative of who he was. In the statement, Larson said that when racing overseas, he encountered people who used the word regularly. He accepted accountability for his actions, including his suspension and dismissal from CGR, and said that although he finished the sensitivity training, he did more than what was required of him to change his behavior; for instance, he went to Minnesota after George Floyd was murdered and participated in a variety of classes to learn more on the African-American community.

The statement also said that some of the people in his career, including Ganassi, kept in touch with him during his rehabilitation which convinced him to have hope in saving his career. Larson also said that he hopes his setback "was a lesson for everyone," and was in the process of seeking reinstatement to the Cup Series. In mid-October, it was reported that Larson officially applied for reinstatement. On the same month, it was announced that NASCAR had reinstated Larson's competition privileges effective on January 1, 2021.

#### 2021: First Cup Series Championship

On October 28, 2020, it was announced that Hendrick Motorsports signed Larson to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 5 car beginning in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. At the time of the announcement, it was also announced that the No. 5 car was not sponsored yet, though Hendrick announced that he would self-sponsor the car through his HendrickCars.com and NationsGuard companies until they found long-term sponsors. It was also announced later on that, although Hendrick normally did not allow their drivers to race anywhere other than their NASCAR team, the team negotiated a clause in the contract allowing Larson to continue racing dirt races, provided that he focused primarily on the Cup program.

Larson began his 2021 season with a 10th-place finish at the 2021 Daytona 500. At Las Vegas, Larson scored his first win with HMS after he led 103 of 267 laps. He had finished second nine times on 1.5-mile tracks prior to his victory.

On May 30, Larson won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Larson's victory was also the 269th career Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports, surpassing Petty Enterprises for the most Cup victories as a race team in NASCAR history. One week later, Larson scored his first road course win at Sonoma. On June 13, Larson won the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas, becoming the 9th driver to win the All-Star Race more than once. He also became the 8th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star race in the same season. At Nashville, Larson scored his third consecutive win (All-Star races, as they are not points-paying, are not included).

On the final lap at Pocono doubleheader race 1, Larson was on the verge of a 4th consecutive win until the left front tire went down that caused his car to hit the turn 3 wall and his teammate Alex Bowman won the race while Larson finished 9th. The next day, despite resorting to a backup car as a result of the incident, Larson rebounded to finish 2nd to eventual winner Kyle Busch after a fuel gamble.

At Watkins Glen, Larson scored his 5th victory of the 2021 season, a career-high. After the Watkins Glen race, Larson and Denny Hamlin were tied for the points lead in the regular season standings. Following the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400, Larson clinched the regular season championship.

In the first round of the playoffs, Larson finished 2nd to Hamlin at Darlington and followed up with a 6th-place finish at Richmond. At Bristol night race, Larson won his 6th race of the season over Kevin Harvick. His win would somewhat be overshadowed by an altercation between Harvick and Chase Elliott after the race due to an on-track incident.

At Charlotte Roval, Larson scored his 7th win of the season after overcoming electrical issues. He became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three different road courses in the same season and also became the first driver since Kasey Kahne in 2006 to sweep both Charlotte races.

In the third round of the playoffs, Larson scored his 8th win of the season at Texas to secure a spot into the Championship 4. A week later at Kansas, he scored his 9th win of the season and became the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win three straight races twice in the same season.

In the Championship 4 at Phoenix, Larson started on the pole and led 107 laps en route to his 10th win of the season and his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. He became the first driver to have 10 wins and a championship in the same season since Jimmie Johnson did it in 2007 season. Larson ended his 2021 championship season with 10 wins, 18 stage wins, 20 top fives, 26 top tens, 2,581 laps led, and an average finish of 9.1.

#### 2022

Larson began the season by starting on the pole at the 2022 Daytona 500 and finished in 32nd after he was involved in a crash at the frontstretch on lap 192. A week later, Larson rebounded with a win at Auto Club Speedway. At Sonoma, Larson's No. 5 car lost a wheel on lap 84. As a result, crew chief Cliff Daniels was suspended for four races. Kevin Meendering, who served as a crew chief for Jimmie Johnson during the 2019 season, filled in for Cliff.

At Watkins Glen, Larson took the lead away from his teammate Chase Elliott on the final restart and scored his second consecutive Watkins Glen win over A. J. Allmendinger. On September 16, 2022, HMS announced that Larson had signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with the team through 2026. Larson was eliminated following the Round of 12 after he finished 35th at Charlotte Roval.

On lap 94 at Las Vegas, Larson got wrecked by Bubba Wallace down the frontstretch after Wallace got into the wall and Christopher Bell was also involved in the crash. During the caution, Wallace confronted Larson in a shoving match. As a result, Wallace was suspended for one race. At Homestead, Larson scored his 3rd win of the season. He finished the 2022 season seventh in the points standings.

#### 2023

Larson began the season with a DNF at the 2023 Daytona 500. On March 15, 2023, the No. 5 was served an L2 penalty after an unapproved hood louver was found installed on the car during a pre-race inspection at Phoenix. As a result, the team was docked 100 driver and owner points and 10 playoff points. In addition, crew chief Cliff Daniels was suspended for four races and fined US$ 100,000. On March 29, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel amended the penalty, upholding the fine and Daniels' suspension, but the No. 5 team has restored the owner, driver, and playoff points.

Larson scored his 20th career Cup Series win at Richmond. Two weeks later, he won at Martinsville and it was also the first win for the No. 5 car at that track since 1984. Larson won the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, tied Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as a three-time All-Star winner and the only driver to win the All-Star race on 3 different race tracks (Charlotte, Texas & North Wilkesboro).

Larson won the Southern 500 at Darlington to clinch a spot into the Round of 12. It is also the 500th overall win by Hendrick Motorsports' engine department. At Las Vegas, Larson scored his 4th win of the season to make the Championship 4. Following the season finale at Phoenix, he finished the 2023 season second in the points standings.

#### 2024

Larson started the 2024 season with an 11th-place finish at the 2024 Daytona 500. Two weeks later, Larson scored his first win of the season at Las Vegas At the Kansas spring race, Larson won by 0.001 seconds over Chris Buescher, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. On May 26, Larson attempted to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, but due to the rain that delayed the Indy 500, he was unable to make the Charlotte race and was substituted by Justin Allgaier who finished 13th. Despite missing the Coke 600 race, Larson was granted a waiver to maintain his playoff eligibility.

At Sonoma, Larson scored his 26th career win that tied him with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Fred Lorenzen on the all-time wins record list in the Cup Series. The victory also made Larson the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup history to win five road course races. On July 21, Larson won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

### Open-wheel career

#### Dirt car racing

Larson owned a World of Outlaws sprint car team named Kyle Larson Racing that fielded a car for Carson Macedo. He acquired full ownership of the team, formerly named Larson Marks Racing, after the 2017 season. The team closed following the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. He drives for his own team (midgets) and Paul Silva (winged sprint car) on a limited schedule.

On January 18, 2020, Larson won his first Chili Bowl after he held off 3-time winner Christopher Bell. On May 5, It was announced that Larson will compete in the World of Outlaws at Knoxville Raceway beginning in the spring after a suspension and subsequent reinstatement to the series. At Knoxville, Larson finished 10th. Two weeks later at Federated Auto Parts Raceway, Larson set a qualifying lap time of 9.995 seconds, the first sub-ten-second time in track history. After finishing second to brother-in-law Brad Sweet in the friday feature, Larson held off Brent Marks and Sweet in the saturday event to score his first World of Outlaws victory since suspension.

Larson joined the USAC series for the 2020 Indiana Midget Week in June. He won all six races in the Hoosier state, as well as the championship. Larson continued to win in nine straight sprint car features. On June 25, 2020, Larson competed in the full Pennsylvania Speedweek for 410 Sprint cars. Larson won at Grandview Speedway after he made a pass on Freddie Rahmer with two laps remaining. Larson picked up his second win that same week, leading the led the entire race at Hagerstown.

On July 3, Larson won the Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway. The following night, he won again in the final event at Port Royal Speedway. Larson won the Pennsylvania Speedweek title with four wins and three podiums. Larson competed in the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint cars at Knoxville Raceway where he set a series record and scored his seventh consecutive win. Following the 2020 season, Larson was named the 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year.

After a test at Cherokee Speedway in August 2020, Larson announced he would be making his debut in a dirt late model at Port Royal Speedway in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for owner Kevin Rumley. After finishing 5th in the first night of the event, Larson led flag-to-flag in the second night's race to win in his second dirt late model start.

On October 18, Larson won the USAC Silver Crown Series finale at the Springfield Mile to take his 42nd feature win of the season. On October 27, it was announced that Larson would make his World of Outlaws Late Model Series debut at Charlotte. He competed the final two races of the season on The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he set a new track record in qualifying and finished 8th.

Following his reinstatement by NASCAR and signing with Hendrick Motorsports in October 2020, Larson noted in an interview with The Dale Jr. Download that he would be permitted to continue dirt racing, in addition to the Cup Series, provided the latter be his primary commitment.

On January 16, 2021, Larson won his second consecutive Chili Bowl Nationals. A week later, Larson raced in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series' Winternationals for dirt late models where he won the season-opener at All-Tech Raceway. Larson won the third annual BC39 race against 74 USAC National Midgets on the dirt track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson won the Knoxville Nationals three times in 2021, 2023, and 2024, becoming the eighth multi-time winner as well as the eighth back-to-back winner of the event.

#### Indy car racing

On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Larson would attempt to qualify for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports. After a rain-delayed start of the race, Larson started fifth and ran among the leading cars until he was caught penalized for speeding on pit lane and finished in 18th. The rain delay impacted Larson's tight schedule, causing him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. Larson was named the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

### Other racing

On January 4, 2014, Chip Ganassi Racing announced that Larson would enter the 24 Hours of Daytona in the No. 02 car alongside Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Marino Franchitti. During the press conference, Larson stated, "You grow up watching the NASCAR guys then you're like, ‘wow’ when you meet them. And then watching the guys in different series there's a 'wow' factor to meeting them and working with them." In his Rolex 24 debut, Larson's car stalled and received a speeding penalty, but finished his stint with a fifth-place finish.

Larson returned in the No. 02 Ford Daytona Prototype for the 2015 event along with Chip Ganassi Racing teammates from IndyCar Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan and NASCAR Jamie McMurray. The team ultimately won the race.

In 2016, Larson once again returned for the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Ford EcoBoost Daytona Prototype for Chip Ganassi Racing. The team consisted of the same drivers from the 2015 winning car but ran into issues with brake failures plaguing the team throughout the race.

## In popular media

Larson made a cameo appearance as a limo driver in the 2017 film Logan Lucky.

## Personal life

Larson's mother is Japanese American and her parents spent time in a Japanese internment camp. Larson's wife is Katelyn Sweet, the sister of former World Of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver and NASCAR driver Brad Sweet. Larson announced on June 13, 2014, that he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child. On July 16, Larson announced that the baby was a boy. Owen Miyata Larson was born on December 22, 2014. On November 8, 2017, Larson announced on social media that he and Katelyn were expecting a second child, due in May 2018. Audrey Layne Larson was born in 2018. On December 22, 2017, Larson and Sweet became engaged, and they were married on September 26, 2018. On December 31, 2022, Larson and Katelyn’s third child Cooper Donald Larson was born.

## Motorsports career results

### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

#### Cup Series

#### Craftsman Truck Series

Season still in progress Ineligible for series points

### ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

### Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

### American open-wheel results

#### IndyCar Series

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)