Jeff Gluck

USA TODAY Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Larson made a rookie mistake.

At Dover International Speedway last month, he made a bad call on where to park his escape vehicle to beat post-race traffic. Instead of driving around the crowds after he finished 11th, Larson found himself in a major jam.

He tried to pull out of line and get around the traffic, but a police officer ordered him to get back in line. So Larson backed up and sat there, trying to figure out how he could get to the airport before his team left without him.

Larson noticed drivers such as Kasey Kahne were zooming by in golf carts, and even NASCAR officials came by in a police escort. So he pulled out of line and tried again — but was sent back again.

Nearly 30 minutes had passed, and race fans Scott and Teri Wilfong noticed Larson's plight. So Scott decided to do something about it.

He got out of his car and walked over to the police officer.

"I went over there and I said, 'Do you realize that's Kyle Larson and he's one of the drivers?' " Scott Wilfong said. "The police officer says, 'Oh, he's one of the drivers? OK, he can go ahead and go.' I walked over to Kyle's window and said, 'Just stick with me, we'll get you out of here.' And they let him go."

Larson was thrilled — and extremely grateful. He and manager Joey Dennewitz noticed Wilfong's red "Keep Calm and Chive On" shirt, which identified him as a "Chiver." People who are passionate about the website TheChive.com try to emulate the site's fun, laid-back theme and often wear clothing promoting the site.

"I would have been stuck there," Larson told USA TODAY Sports. "That was mostly our fault for not having a better (escape) plan, but it was cool that they saved us to help get us out of it quicker."

Larson wanted to somehow repay the fans, so Dennewitz tweeted at The Chive's Twitter account and asked if anyone could help identify the mysterious couple. It didn't take long for the power of social media to connect him with the Wilfongs.

"He sent me a message and said Kyle really appreciated what I did and wanted to do something for me and wanted to send me something," Wilfong said. "I told him that wasn't necessary because that's what Chivers do. We help everybody out."

But Larson still wanted to meet the Wilfongs to thank them in person. A meeting was arranged for Friday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, where the Ohio-based couple and their son chatted with Larson.

They even got to attend the Nationwide Series drivers meeting, which left the family "beside ourselves."

"That's the kind of stuff that happens to someone else," Wilfong said.

Though the Wilfongs are Carl Edwards fans, Larson has also made a good impression on them. Now they'll keep their eyes open in post-race traffic, though Wilfong said he wouldn't help just anyone.

"Just for the record," Wilfong said, "I would not do that for Austin Dillon!"

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck