(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
This weekend, NASCAR Cup Series playoff contenders dance with the Lady in Black for the second time this season.
Last year’s Champion, Kyle Larson, is looking to overcome the yearlong challenges his Hendrick Motorsports team has faced, including engine issues that resulted in a 36th place finish earlier this year at Darlington Raceway.
Uncharacteristically, Larson has six DNFs this season with engine failures being the cause of three of the races not being completed. Even with these mechanical issues, admitted mistakes on his part, and inconsistencies through the regular season, Larson believes his championship-caliber team is ready for the Playoffs thanks to fast cars all season, great calls from on top of the pit box, and a pit crew that has been performing well.
Despite never having a win at Darlington, starting the Playoffs there is a plus for Larson. “Maybe if I had some bad results it’s ‘cause I got the wall or something like that, but before getting into the wall, I always remember being competitive and having fun and running up front,” Larson said.
Larson continued by stating, “(I) have yet to get a win there but I feel like it’s probably in my top 3-4 for best tracks on the circuit as far as you know running position, average running position, throughout the race. Stuff like that seems to just fit my style. It’s just really technical. You have to move your line around a little bit. Be patient. It’s just fun. I really enjoyed it. It’s slick. It gets hot. It’s just a very demanding racetrack and I think the more demanding sometimes it seems to be better suited for me.”
(Photo: Jonathan Huff | The Podium Finish)
Does Larson like the playoff format with the pressure and intensity of it all? “This is the only way I have known, so it just kinda is what it is to me,” Larson explained. “I think if I had raced another way, how it was before, maybe I’d have a different opinion, but I don’t know anything different. So, it’s just the way it’s always been. And yes, there’s – I think just having an emphasis on winning is exciting for the fans. Having the elimination stuff is stressful and that makes things exciting to watch on TV and the storylines developing throughout each race.”
This season there is a unique set of drivers contending for the Championship, and there may be many reasons for that. Larson does think one reason may be that the cars are more similar than they have been in the past. Additionally, there are more things to go wrong in a race that can take you out of a race putting others in contention.
As the season progresses to the Round of 16 and beyond, there is an emphasis on winning, however, if you are not in the spot to win, at a minimum you need to maximize your day and finish the race.
Another lesson Larson has learned through his playoff career includes the importance of finishing races. “I think finishing is the most important thing,” Larson explained. “If you can finish the top 10 or 12 every week until at least you get to the Round of 8 I feel like that should be enough to get you in, as long as you’re getting stage points too. Stage points are really important as well.
“But if you get one finish outside the top 20, I feel like then you’re, you’ve got a reason to stress. So just not taking yourself out of it has been the biggest thing that I’ve learned over my career out of being in playoffs.”
As a final note, Larson has a good feeling about many of the tracks throughout the remainder of the season, calling out The Roval and Martinsville as potential problem tracks. Conversely, Homestead and Las Vegas are two tracks where he feels he can put himself and the team in a great position to repeat as Champions.
