Kyle Larson survived this month’s Talladega NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, finishing fourth on October 6 and leading the playoffs with 52 points. A comfortable margin led to Larson’s upset Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway at The Roval. But that didn’t affect his attitude towards the weekend. Larson earned his sixth Cup win of the season with 62 laps to go. He leads the points standings entering Sunday’s round of eight, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“It was difficult, but the experience we gained as a team helped us stay focused,” Larson said this month. “We can get through this tough race with a little less stress. We know we’re fast. “We know there are things we can control, but we have to continue to execute.”Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, enters Las Vegas as a two-race winner. He won the Pennzoil 400 in March and the South Point 400 last season. Sunday’s win would be his fourth at LVMS, tying him with seven-time winner Jimmie Johnson for the most wins at the track.
Larson overcame a challenge that could have ended his playoff run in the Round of 12 at Kansas last month. He crashed early in the race due to a flat tire and finished 26th. The following week at Talladega, Larson led the field, which helped him avoid a 24-car crash at the end of the race and advance to the next round. Larson said The Roval was always a “stressful” race for him, but he had outstanding performances. Hendrick Motorsports no. 5 Larson, driving a Chevrolet, is the driver to beat in Las Vegas. He averaged 9.3 strokes and had eight top-5 finishes in 16 starts at the track. “The balance of our car is really good and it handles the bumps in Turns 1 and 2 well. It helps us maintain speed and momentum and move through the corners,” Larson said. “(Turns) 1 and 2 are our strengths, but there’s always room for improvement.”
In 2021, Larson won his first race with Hendrick Motorsports in Las Vegas in the spring. It was the start of a dominant year in which he won 10 races and the Cup Series title. Larson won last year’s South Point 400, earning his fourth win at Phoenix. He finished third behind Ryan Blaney, who won the award in Phoenix. A win Sunday would send Larson to Phoenix with a chance to compete for his second title. Larson said he thinks his team has a few wins, but it’s important to make the most of the contest if they want to finish well in the playoffs. “The playoff field is getting smaller,” Larson said. “The cut-off line is approaching. “We had a good regular season and playoffs that gave us a lot of playoff points, which allowed us to get those bad results at the beginning of each round.”
