Since joining Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson hasn’t had many moments where he’s been fighting for his life in the post-season.
The Elk Grove, California-native enters Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway fifth in playoff standings, just seven points below teammate William Byron for the final position in the Championship 4.
Martinsville, the half-mile paperclip located in Martinsville, Virginia, hasn’t exactly been the best racetrack for Larson, the 2021 champion of the NASCAR Cup Series, with only five top-five and seven top-10 results in 19 starts.
The 32-year-old racer isn’t even discouraged by his previous performances at Martinsville, and believes that there’s reason for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team to be confident heading into the second-to-last event of the NASCAR Cup Series campaign.
“I have a lot more confidence than I would have had [at Martinsville] five years ago,” Larson said in a media availability on Tuesday. “Being this close to the cutoff, I feel like since joining Hendrick, it’s actually been one of my better tracks. Maybe not from points scored, but finish-wise, we’ve won, we’ve finished second a couple of times, maybe, finished in the top five, one or two other times. So, yeah, I have confidence going there.”
There’s always room to improve, though, says Larson, especially when it comes to the person sitting in the cockpit.
“I just haven’t had like dominating speed there, and I think my car is still much better than I am there. Where guys like Denny [Hamlin], [Ryan] Blaney lately, Chase [Elliott], and William [Byron], you know, they’ve had dominating speed, and all of those are the guys that I’m going up against.”
In his seven NASCAR Cup Series starts with Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville, Larson has managed to score four top-five and five top-five finishes, including double-digit laps led in four events.
As it usually is in the NASCAR Cup Series, qualifying will be of the utmost importance at Martinsville Speedway, as the No. 1 pit stall has been known to win drivers races at the half-mile paperclip.
In the last six events at Martinsville Speedway, Larson has placed his Hendrick Motorsports entry on the pole three times, including this Spring, as part of the organization’s 40th Anniversary celebration.
“I think we’ll have a good car, a great car, and we’ll have a good shot, but it’s just a tough place. And it’s not a place that’s ever really been comfortable for me, even with the success that we’ve had. It’s a tough, really tough track for me.”
Qualifying is likely to set the tone for the 500-lap gauntlet at Martinsville Speedway, especially for Larson, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin, the three drivers within a realistic gap range of fighting for the final spot in the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
With a series-leading six victories on the season, Larson is looking to secure his third Championship 4 berth in the last four seasons. To do so, he’ll have to hold William Byron at bay, the winner of the Spring event at Martinsville, likely with stage points and a solid result.
