Kyle Larson hopes for better results at Richmond Raceway after middling finishes last year. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. – When a driver like Kyle Larson is challenged by a track like Richmond Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), it is an intriguing storyline to follow in terms of how he approaches the next opportunity.
Although the 30-year-old racer has a decent track record at the 0.75-mile venue, including three poles and a 2017 fall race victory, he has only one top five finish in the past eight races.
That said, since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, Larson has been in the mix in three of the past four Cup races at “The Action Track.” Last August, Larson appeared to find the competitive footing to vie for the win, placing third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2.
However, Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro struggled with long green flag run pace, especially with tire degradation. In this case, Larson dropped to a 14th place result, a lap behind race winner, Kevin Harvick.
While the Elk Grove, California native placed fifth in last year’s Toyota Owners 400, he was never truly in the mix for the win. This time, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion hopes to contend for his second Richmond Cup race win.
Starting ninth from the grid due to qualifying being rained out, Larson acknowledged some of his difficulties with the abrasive short track.
“It’s a very challenging track to me,” Larson said. “It seems like the slower the tracks get, the harder it is on me. I feel like I’ve adapted OK to it over time.
“I’ve somehow won a race here. Majority of the time, I’m a 10th place guy. It’s just hard. It takes a lot of rhythm, you’ve got to watch your tire wear and all that. It’s fun though because it is a little technical.”
Typically, Larson is a hard charger, preferably running his car to the maximum along the high line. Despite that old school driver’s approach, it takes finesse and patience to be aggressive when it truly counts.
Unlike last year’s races at Richmond, Larson and his No. 5 team head into Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 without any on track laps with their latest Camaro entry. Mainly, this will be the first race with the low downforce package at Richmond and third overall this year.
Prior to Sunday’s race at Richmond, Larson had an eventful race last weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Qualifying 13th, Larson found himself often facing more adversities than anything else at the 3.41-mile road course.
With 20 laps remaining, Larson’s left rear toe link was broken, prompting him to bring his No. 5 car to pit road for lengthy repairs. It was shades of the Charlotte ROVAL Playoffs race, a moment that eliminated the hardy driver from postseason contention.
While Larson lost two laps, he was the beneficiary twice over in a prolonged, Overtime laden finish, prompting him from a sub-30 finish to 14th, on the lead lap.
Recently, Larson partook in a Goodyear tire test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Needless to say, it was a successful venture in more ways than one, especially when news of the Hendrick Motorsports points appeal was relayed to him.
“I was happy. We were testing this week and when you hear the news, you move on and get back to running 30 lap runs at Charlotte,” he said. “I never got too involved in it. I didn’t ask a ton of questions leading up to or even after the result of the appeal. So, I’m just happy and proud of the work it took to be prepared for the deal.”
Larson’s latest Richmond entry awaits its Sunday battles. (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyre | The Podium Finish)
In concert with the appeal and COTA rally, Larson ranks ninth heading into Round 7 of 36, a respectable ranking in the early portions of the season. Moreover, he looks forward to an equally competitive showing at Richmond while looking ahead to next month’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.
“I think the tire that we ran last year, it sounds like it’s maybe going to be the tire we’re just going to come back with,” he said. “I didn’t really feel much difference with the other tires that we even tried. I felt like we got our car better and we seem to have a lot of speed. Promising, hopefully, when we come back.”
Perhaps Larson will have a win or two prior to the 600 at Charlotte. Meanwhile, as he takes on a 400-lap race at Richmond, he has a busy but enjoyable week ahead with the Bristol Dirt Race. Before he pursues his first Food City Dirt Race victory on Easter Sunday evening, he hosts a late model race in Bulls Gaps, Tennessee.
“It’ll be a fun week,” Larson said. “Hopefully, the weather gets a little bit better. It doesn’t look very good, at least for the late model race in Bulls Gap on Thursday night. I’m not even sure how it looks for the rest of the week.
“I think it looks like a lot of rain. Had we not been there for the previous two years to understand how good the dirt is and the surface is there, I’d be nervous with all the rain that’s coming. It rained quite a bit last year too and the track was great. I think rain’s a great thing for that place.”
Editor’s Notes
Nathan Solomon contributed to this article directly on-site from Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.
