NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson is returning to one of his favorite tracks on Sunday afternoon with a ton of optimism and a real opportunity to win in his third race for Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson, driver of the No. 5 NationsGuard Chevrolet is hoping to use Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 as the perfect opportunity to rebound after a dismal 30th place finish last weekend at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course – where he contended for the win but crashed in the final laps of the race.
The newest driver for powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports has maneuvered himself inside the top-five and was battling against former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kurt Busch for second with laps left when he overdrove Turn 6 and slid into the tire barriers. Larson finished but was eliminated from contention.
“I think I just got to the brakes way deep and maybe I got some slight wheel hop,” Larson recalled. “I didn’t want to door slam Kurt, so I tried to get away from him and slide in front of him, and I hit the tire barriers.”
Looking for his seventh career Cup win and first since 2019, the Elk Grove, Calif. native has flourished at the South Florida race track. In seven starts at the 1.5-mile track, he has earned three top-fives and led a whopping 325 laps.
Carrying an average finish of 13th at Homestead, Larson finished 40th in his last outing in the season-finale in 2019 – but the 28-year-old knows what it takes not only to survive Homestead but conquer it too.
“I’m ready to get down to Florida and hopefully have a good weekend at one of my best tracks and lead some laps and finally close one out,” sounded Larson.
Just two races in, crew chief Cliff Daniels is impressed with his driver’s dedication.
“He’s so calm and methodical in how he prepares for a race and his whole approach leading up to the race,” Daniels said in a HendrickMotorsports.com interview. “When he’s in the car, he drives like a lion.
“He’s so aggressive and so fast and does such a great job. To have that mix where he’s so thoughtful in how he prepares, then he can really turn the wick up and turn it loose when he gets behind the wheel, is really cool to see.”
Daniels added that Larson’s experience in dealing with such a temperature-sensitive track like Homestead will help make his job easier on the pit box Sunday.
“Learning that from him has been good,” Daniels said. “We definitely have high expectations going into the weekend. We just got to hit our marks. If we do our part with the car and on pit road and how we call the race, I know he’s fired up and ready to go.”
Larson rolls off 17th based on the event formula for Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, his worst starting spot since 2016.
Coverage begins at 3:30 pm ET on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 90.
Follow Zach Grafe on Twitter @z_grafe83.
CATCHFENCE.com senior editor Chris Knight contributed to this report.
