Kyle Larson had a smooth, steady race to finish sixth in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. — Kyle Larson’s Saturday night at Richmond Raceway was about clawing back, grinding through traffic and salvaging momentum as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs loom.
Starting 30th after a lackluster qualifying effort, Larson methodically worked his way through the field in the Cook Out 400. By the time the checkered flag waved, the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet had rallied to a sixth-place finish, snapping a two-race slump and positioning himself well with just one race left in the regular season.
The result didn’t deliver the regular season championship, and the 15 bonus Playoff points that go with it, but it did provide the kind of steadiness Larson needed after consecutive setbacks at Iowa and Watkins Glen International.
“Yeah, on equal tires, it was really difficult to pass,” Larson said. “I felt like my team did an amazing job with our strategy today in every stage of the race. Without the great calls, we definitely wouldn’t have finished up here, so huge kudos to Cliff [Daniels, crew chief] and everyone on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team. They worked really hard all night and grinded it out.”
Larson’s climb through the field wasn’t easy. Richmond, a three-quarter-mile short track known for its long green-flag runs, rewards patience and tire management. Early in the race, Larson found himself bottled in mid-pack traffic. On restarts, his car was tight in the center of the corners, a condition that forced him to work harder on corner exit and risked overheating his Goodyears.
“I thought restarts and stuff in traffic, I felt like I was too tight in the center, and then it would just kind of beat my stuff up,” Larson explained.
Despite the handling challenge, the No. 5 team relied on sharp strategy to turn the night around. Daniels and his crew opted to short-pit early, undercutting the field to gain track position. Later, they stretched runs in the second and third stages, keeping Larson in cleaner air and reducing the strain on his tires.
“We short-pitted early in the race and then went long in the second and third stages,” Larson said. “I felt like that allowed me to take care of my tires better; come out in fresher air and just not stress the tires too badly. It helped us on the long run, for sure.”
The adjustments paid off steadily. Larson ended Stage 1 in 16th, then cracked the top 10 by the end of Stage 2. From there, he held serve against some of the sport’s best on a night when track position was at a premium. By race’s end, Larson had passed 24 cars en route to sixth place, tying his second-best Richmond finish since winning there in 2017.
Kyle Larson showcased patience and focus in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Photo: Daniel Rankin |
The timing couldn’t be better. Larson entered Richmond on the heels of two difficult races. At Iowa Speedway, he was involved in late race incidents and finished outside the top 10. One week later at Watkins Glen, mechanical trouble derailed his run.
Saturday night’s recovery effort was a welcome reminder of the No. 5 team’s resilience and their ability to adapt even when the odds stack up early.
While Austin Dillon ultimately stole the show by winning the race and clinching a Playoff berth, Larson’s effort served its own purpose. It gave him a needed cushion of confidence and underscored that Hendrick Motorsports remains a threat as the postseason nears.
The one lingering disappointment was the regular season championship. Still, Larson will enter the postseason already well-stocked with Playoff points thanks to his wins and stage performances earlier in the year.
Looking ahead, the series now turns to the regular season finale: the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Superspeedway racing represents the sport’s great equalizer, where strategy, drafting partners and survival often matter more than raw speed.
“Yeah, there’s one more race until the Playoffs start,” Larson said. “Anybody has a shot to win at Daytona (International Speedway), so hopefully we can go there and have a good race, a good points day and get ready for the Playoffs.”
For Larson, Daytona will offer both opportunity and risk. While his Playoff berth is already secured, the race offers a chance to sharpen his superspeedway skills and build additional momentum. Historically, Daytona has been both cruel and kind to Larson; he’s shown speed in the draft but has often been swept into the “Big One” multi-car crashes that define the track’s reputation.
Still, with the No. 5 team showing its adaptability at Richmond, optimism is warranted. Daniels’ strategy calls have consistently put Larson in position to maximize finishes even when raw pace isn’t enough. At Daytona, those split-second decisions could prove the difference between a top-five finish and an early exit.
Kyle Larson captured a much needed top 10 finish at Richmond ahead of the regular season finale next Saturday night at Daytona. (Photo: Daniel Rankin | The Podium Finish)
Larson’s performance also comes at a crucial moment for Hendrick Motorsports. Teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman both finished inside the top 10 at Richmond, giving the organization three cars in the top 10 and momentum heading to the finale. Chase Elliott, already locked into the Playoffs with a win, will join them as Hendrick aims to put all four drivers into championship contention.
The Richmond race also highlighted Larson’s ability to adapt. While known for his aggressive, rim-riding style, he leaned heavily on patience and tire conservation Saturday night, especially when strategy put him in position to gain ground late. The approach underscored his maturity as a driver, balancing aggression with long-run execution.
As the checkered flag flew, Larson’s sixth-place finish may not have made headlines like Dillon’s victory, but it carried weight nonetheless. The No. 5 team overcame a deep starting spot, battled handling issues, and capitalized on shrewd calls to turn a potential struggle into a solid result.
With the regular season winding down and the Playoffs looming, that kind of night can make all the difference. Larson left Richmond without a trophy, but with a reminder that in NASCAR, grinding out a good finish can sometimes mean as much as winning outright.
And for Larson, that grind may be exactly what fuels him entering Daytona and beyond.
