They say that experience plays a big role in success in any sport. Going into the Cup Series championship race in Phoenix, Kyle Larson has the most experience out of the 4. However, according to Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett, experience will take a back seat on Sunday. Both former Cup Series drivers believe that the amount of pressure one has to deal with throughout the season is good enough to prepare anyone for the final race.

Kyle Larson is the only driver in the Championship Four who has won the Cup Series title before. This year’s championship driver’s field has the youngest average age in the history of NASCAR. The Hendrick Motorsports man will be looking to rely on his experience. However, if he can’t get the #5 close to a winning position, experience is not going to count for much.

Experience will take a back seat in Phoenix, NASCAR veterans theorize

On a recent episode of Motor Mouths, Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty discussed how in today’s day and age, a driver’s form takes precedence over experience in the championship race. According to Dale Jarrett, the current playoff system is such that drivers often find themselves in a pressure situation in every round. This helps even the most inexperienced ones get used to them.

“With today’s playoffs, I mean they’re in a championship situation for three races with every round that they go through, so, this has prepared them for what they have here. Yeah, this is the biggest moment that they’re going to have but I think these drivers have been through enough that I’m going to put experience to the side and just say it’s more to me about who is competing best,” Jarett said.

Host and pit reporter Dave Burns directed the same question to Kyle Petty with a small twist. Is there more pressure on the drivers who have not won it on the big stage than someone like Kyle Larson?

Several fans and experts have theorized that Larson’s experience will help alleviate the pressure off of his shoulders. However, according to Kyle Petty, the pressure will not be something the other drivers have not experienced. And that’s all thanks to the current playoff structure.

“These guys work for those first 20 races or first 26 races and then it becomes a sudden death almost every week. So I think the pressure is there. Don’t get me wrong, but they’ve dealt with the pressure for the last 10 weeks so it’s not going to be any greater this week, I don’t believe, than it’s been in the past,” Petty said.

While the anticipation for a championship race can have a huge impact on a driver, Kyle Larson is not feeling the heat at all. Or maybe that’s what he wants everyone to believe.

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Kyle Larson echoes experts’ sentiments, reveals pre-championship mindset

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In a recent interview, the driver of the #5 credited the week’s festivities to help him not feel antsy about the title decider in Phoenix. Larson also echoed Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty’s sentiment when he said that all drivers have an equal opportunity to win, regardless of experience.

“You know, I came into the Championship 4 a couple of years ago, no experience in the Round of 4, and really have only been in the Round of 8 one other time before then,” the HMS star said. “It does not make a difference. If your team executes right, any of us can win.”

“I don’t remember feeling overly anticipated the last time I was in the final 4, I feel pretty calm, neutral. This week is really short. Monday it was normal, Tuesday we had Halloween, flew out here early yesterday morning, so no, not antsy at all,” the driver of the #5 added.

Kyle Larson has always been cool and composed on the race track. His clear-headedness often plays a role in him winning races and championships. Will the HMS star be able to win his second Cup title on Sunday? Only time will tell.

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