Kyle Larson showcased speed and resolve in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona to gain momentum ahead of the NASCAR Playoffs. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Larson delivered a strong performance in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, starting third, winning Stage 1, finishing 10th in Stage 2, and ultimately crossing the finish line sixth.
The result capped a regular season that included three victories at Homestead-Miami, Bristol and Kansas, along with logging the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the Race at Circuit of the Americas, Kansas, Mexico City and Watkins Glen. This cumulative success positioned Larson third in the regular season standings and put him in a tie for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs lead with Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron heading into the Round of 16 opener at the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Larson’s performance at Daytona was highlighted by his Stage 1 victory, which demonstrated the team’s ability to control the race in the early laps. He continued to show strong pace in Stage 2, although he fell to 10th, keeping him competitive but just shy of the stage win.
“What happened? I don’t even know. A lot of stuff happened,” Larson said. “We were able to get to lead our lane and Chase [Elliott] went with us, which was great. Then I don’t know if it just broke the momentum up of the bottom and the top lane, but then the two Fords got rolling on the outside.”
Larson described his strategy and the race’s unpredictability in the closing laps, emphasizing how difficult it was to maintain momentum with multiple lanes shifting and competing drivers in contention.
“Was just kind of hoping our middle lane would go or something would happen,” Larson said. “But yeah, I don’t know. We did a really good job all night getting the Stage 1 win and had a shot to win Stage 2, just made some mistakes.”
Despite not winning the race, Larson acknowledged that the Hendrick Motorsports team had a strong night overall and that the final laps were challenging, particularly with Playoff implications affecting other drivers on the track.
Kyle Larson had pace and power in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)
“Then I don’t really think I made any mistakes there at the end, just the lanes and stuff didn’t work out in our favor,” Larson said. “Yeah, cool to get another finish on a superspeedway and great to have Alex [Bowman] in the playoffs. That was pretty crazy there at the end with all the cars around us who needed a win to get locked in, and that was going to hurt him. Happy that [Ryan] Blaney won and was hoping just one of us who had won could win. Glad to have Alex in and all four Hendrick cars go for a championship.”
Larson’s results at Daytona capped a consistent regular season where he had collected multiple wins and fastest laps, illustrating his competitiveness across a variety of track types. His finishes, combined with Hendrick Motorsports’ depth, positioned the team strongly heading into the playoffs.
“Yeah, I think we’ve been kind of quietly getting better here lately with the 5 team, and we get to go to one of our better tracks next week at Darlington, and hopefully can just get some momentum for our final 10 weeks going,” Larson said. “It’s a fun time of year, excited about the opportunity to race for another championship, and wouldn’t want to do it with any other group. Looking forward to it with our Hendrick Motorsports team and Hendrickcars.com, and see if we can get a Chevy win.”
Larson’s playoff position was reinforced not only by his performance at Daytona but also by the season-long accumulation of wins and points. His consistency and ability to adapt to multiple track conditions underscore his strength as a championship contender.
“It’s all happening so quick, so it’s hard to kind of process what’s going on,” Larson said. “Obviously I knew the 12 was pushing the 41 there. I think coming to the white or something. Obviously I don’t even know who was around me that had a win, but it looked like it was only me, Chase and Blaney. So I was just hopeful that something would work out where one of us three could win, and was happy that Blaney did because we had a lot of objectives today, but one was to see Alex get locked in. For him to do that was to gain a lot of points and beat the 45 or have a guy win that had already won. Thankfully with his misfortune a guy like Blaney won.”
Larson’s Stage 1 win at Daytona showed the car’s ability to dominate in early race conditions. Despite the challenges in Stage 2, the sixth-place finish kept him within striking distance of the top playoff contenders and contributed to Hendrick Motorsports’ overall strength.
Throughout the season, Larson has logged multiple Fastest Lap of the Race accolades in the Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas, Kansas, Mexico City and Watkins Glen. These accomplishments reflect the driver’s skill and the team’s consistent performance on both road courses and intermediate tracks.
The combination of wins at Homestead-Miami, Bristol and Kansas and strong finishes at other tracks allowed Larson to secure a tie for the Cup Series Playoffs lead with Byron heading into the Round of 16. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers will enter the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington with momentum, experience, and proven speed, making them strong contenders as the championship chase begins.
Kyle Larson and William Byron have some momentum on their side going into the NASCAR Playoffs. (Photo: Donald Jenney | The Podium Finish)
Larson emphasized that Hendrick Motorsports’ collective strength was key to their success, especially at a time when playoff positioning is critical.
“It’s a fun time of year, excited about the opportunity to race for another championship, and wouldn’t want to do it with any other group,” Larson said. “Looking forward to it with our Hendrick Motorsports team and Hendrickcars.com, and see if we can get a Chevy win.”
The team’s performance at Daytona also highlighted the importance of collaboration and timing on superspeedways, where strategy and lane choice can determine playoff outcomes. Larson’s awareness of his teammates’ positions and the race’s dynamics contributed to his and the team’s overall success.
Larson and his crew now turn their attention to Darlington, a track where he has historically performed well and where momentum will be key in the early rounds of the playoffs. With the Hendrick cars collectively strong, Larson enters the postseason as one of the top contenders to compete for another NASCAR Cup Series title.
“Was just kind of hoping our middle lane would go or something would happen,” Larson said. “But yeah, I don’t know. We did a really good job all night getting the Stage 1 win and had a shot to win Stage 2, just made some mistakes.”
Larson’s combination of wins, strong stage finishes, and points accumulation throughout the season have solidified his role as a championship threat. His performance at Daytona added another layer of confidence heading into the playoffs and underscored Hendrick Motorsports’ depth as a team capable of contending for multiple titles.
