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By Ronald Young
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
With three top-five finishes and a single-point advantage in the standings, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team are reaching peak performance at the ideal moment as the Cup title race heats up.
When the postseason kicked off three weeks ago at Darlington Raceway, few predicted Larson would vault from seventh in the standings directly to the top spot. Recently, Darlington and World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) had proven challenging for the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Though Darlington had presented difficulties recently, Larson launched the playoffs strong with a fifth-place finish and led several laps.His subsequent victory at Gateway further reinforced the team’s standing as a serious championship contender.
“Well, I’m definitely more confident than I was two weeks ago,” Larson noted at Bristol. “I didn’t expect to have the start to the playoff—or, sorry, the chase—that we had this year, just based off of the last two Darlingtons where we weren’t very good, and then Gateway’s kind of been, up until last year, a not-so-great track for us.”
At Gateway, flawless pit execution and a fast car allowed Larson to move through the field. He followed up that victory with a late-race rally at Bristol Motor Speedway, carving through traffic to finish second after damaging the front end of his car while entering pit road at the end of stage 2.
“I always had the trust in our team and the trust in Cliff Daniels that it’s not like we’ve gotten worse as a team or have forgotten how to build fast race cars,” Larson noted.
Over the past year and a half, Larson said he began to embrace simulator work and to establish a structured lifestyle to benefit his Cup Series performance. Rather than panicking under the pressure of winless results, he stayed dedicated to self-improvement, adding that he “really trusted the process…”
Larson also addressed the external noise and skepticism surrounding his team during the dry spell that had some outsiders shaking their heads.
“Although it might seem reasonable on paper, to the media, or even to competing drivers to question our capabilities… I do not view us in that light, nor do I feel driven by a need to prove anyone wrong.”
Instead, he believes the highest level of success comes from tuning out distractions and focusing strictly on self-improvement.
As the Cup Series prepares for a crucial intermediate track swing—starting at Kansas Speedway this week before heading to Las Vegas and Charlotte —Larson offers a candid assessment of the competition, specifically the formidable Toyota camp.
Throughout the regular season, Toyota entries led by Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace showed superior speed on 1.5-mile ovals. Larson acknowledges that gap, while remaining confident in his team’s ability to maximize outcomes.
“I definitely don’t believe that we’re going to go to those three racetracks—Kansas, Vegas, Charlotte even—and be the fastest car, but I think we’ll be a top-five car,” Larson admitted. “As we’ve proven these last two weeks, you can execute from there and score at least a lot of points or potentially have a shot to win. So, that’s the goal, anyway.”
While many competitors have already expended their postseason “mulligans” due to crashes or mechanical failures, Larson and the No. 5 team have stayed spotless. Maintaining that cleanliness over the final seven races will be the ultimate challenge of the Next Gen era.
“I hope we can get through 10 weeks clean and not have to rely on [a mulligan],” Larson explained. “Not that there is a mulligan, per se, but I think if you can get through 10 weeks clean, you’ll have a better shot than if not. So, that’s the goal, but it’s tough.”
With momentum firmly on their side, Larson and his team have transformed into contenders as they pursue back-to-back titles.
