After 18 races, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series is perfectly set up for an interesting phase before the playoffs. Without a doubt, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain have been two of the best performers this season. However, when it came to choosing one of them, a Hendrick Motorsports legend has a surprising perspective.

With a win at Nashville Superspeedway, Ross Chastain finally registered his first win in what has been an impressive campaign for him. While Larson has already won twice in the ongoing season, he has an uphill task in Atlanta on the weekend.

Hendrick Motorsports Legend passes a brutal take on Kyle Larson ahead of the Atlanta race

It is no secret that both Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain stand a strong chance of doing well in the playoffs. Having said that, every victory or finish from now on is crucial in this regard. However, when it comes to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, one of them totally outshines the other.

For the second time this season, the Cup Series drivers will be racing in Atlanta. While it is good news for some, it isn’t that tempting for others. With plenty of fans involved in playing DraftKings, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte gives an insight into the upcoming race.

Speaking on the podcast Dirty Mo Dough, he was joined by Chopper and the Professor. While according to them, Ryan Blaney stands the best chance on Sunday, it got interesting when a decision between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson was to be taken.

Letarte said, “I hate to say it but the next one Chastain and Larson, it’s Chastain. Chastain’s Atlanta numbers specifically are a monster.” To this, the Professor stated how Chastain finished second in both races last year. Earlier this season, he was involved in a wreck, which eventually saw him finish 13th.

While his record has been decent, Larson’s record hasn’t really been great. To put things into perspective, the HMS driver has only once finished in the top five at Atlanta. Apart from a second finish in March 2021, Larson has finished 18th, 30th, 13th, and 31st respectively.

However, it only got more painful after what Letarte had to say about him. He said, “I’m not even going to blame Larson. Larson is like the guy if you see him on the interstate, you either speed up or slow down because wherever he is where the wreck happens. Just like don’t ride next to him whatever you do.”

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Surely, that was unexpected from Letarte. However, despite Larson’s poor record, his crew chief wants to remain optimistic for Atlanta.

Kyle Larson’s crew chief shares positive words as he hopes for a change in form at Atlanta

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With Kyle Larson having a concerning record at Atlanta, HMS might be looking into it deeply. Luckily for the 30-year-old, his crew chief Cliff Daniels believes in turning it around. Speaking to Speedway Digest, Daniels gave an insight into what to expect on Sunday.

He said, “For the no. 5 team in Atlanta, it’s odd to say that we are looking forward to it because unfortunately in the Next Gen era, I don’t know that we’ve actually finished a race. The track layout is a lot different and the package that we have is definitely tough and challenging. I feel like we’ve had some good cars there and even had some good runs going, even though we haven’t always got the finish.”

Daniel then spoke in a more hopeful tone. He said, “We are looking forward to going to Atlanta. It’s going to be a tough and hot race. In the middle of the summer, it will be cool to have a night race. Hopefully, we can stay out of the trouble and have a good enough car to get upfront by the end.”

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It will be interesting now to see what Larson is able to achieve on the weekend. Moreover, can he do better than Chastain? We’ll know better on Sunday.