Everywhere you look, pundits, analysts, and even other drivers call Kyle Larson the most talented driver in the field. He gets a ton of credit, and he deserves it. While he’s known for driving anything, anywhere, any time -the NASCAR Playoffs is the time to buckle down.
For the next 10 weeks, it is all about chasing that Bill France Cup. It starts tonight at Darlington and Larson hopes to repeat his 2021 performance and hoist the trophy in Phoenix.
His hype video will have you ready for some stock car racing at The Lady in Black.
This Darlington track is a hard one to conquer. Three times, Kyle Larson has been runner-up. Since the Next Gen car was introduced, he’s had a really hard time at this track. Just a P12 finish for his best in three tries since 2022.
Earlier this season, Larson qualified P7 and was only able to finish P20 after a run-in with Ross Chastain on the track during one of the final restarts. William Byron went on to win with Kevin Harvick running P2. Is this when he finally figures out the Track Too Tough to Tame?
Kyle Larson – checkers and wreckers?
To start the season, Kyle Larson looked to be a championship contender. He still is, on victue of making the playoffs. However, it felt like his performances were going to be far more dominant than they have turned out to be. Wathing him win at Richmond and Martinsville within a three-week span just to go on and dominate the All-Star Race – it was enough to make believers out of a lot of people.
One thing that has constantly hindered Larson this season – DNFs. There is a reason why he wasn’t able to contend for the championship in the regular season. Only Austin Dillon with his 8 DNFs has more than Kyle Larson at 6. Martin Truex Jr., the regular season champ, only had one on the year.
Good news, Larson’s last DNF was Atlanta-2. He’s gone seven weeks without a catastrophic wreck and that is good. However, he only managed two top-5s and a top-10 in that timeframe. In his last two races, Larson finished P26 and P27. It also doesn’t help that he starts P18 for the Cook Out Southern 500 tonight.
So, are we going to see the talented Kyle Larson that everyone talks about? Or are we going to see another disappointing postseason like in 2022?