Kyle Larson won last weekend's race at Auto Club Speedway and is the Cup Series points leader through five races. Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports MARTINSVILLE, Va.

­Stewart and Earnhardt Jr. Fly from race to race on private jets and own million-dollar racing teams. Needless to say, times have changed. Considering the NASCAR circuit leaves Daytona, Fla. On Sunday and must be ready to race in Fontana, Calif. By the next Thursday, who can blame them?

— Kyle Larson’s trajectory is all upward. He won last week’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race at Fontana, Calif., and remains solidly atop the series point standings. He is being tagged as stock car racing’s next superstar.

But Larson, who has four top-two finishes in five races this season, watches his coins. For example, most of his air travel — in a time when many drivers own jets or rent jet rides to race weekends — is on commercial airlines. “I’ll fly commercial as much as I can, especially the West Coast stuff,” Larson said Friday. “I think commercial is better. The team plane — you have to stop for fuel. Commercial’s not bad.”. Larson said Danica Patrick (he described her as “obviously a very wealthy person”) couldn’t understand two years ago why Larson would buy a $120 coach ticket when first class cost $500.

“I’m going to save that money,” he said. “But now I fly first class.” Jimmie Johnson, who followed Larson into the Martinsville Speedway media center and overheard his answers, offered the opinion that, because of Larson’s recent success, “His days of flying commercial are just about over.” PHOTOS: KYLE LARSON THROUGH THE YEARS. Download winamp pro 57 full version.