Kyle Larson’s 6th-place finish in the driver’s standings at the end of the 2024 season seems a bit odd. We are talking about a driver who has pretty much dominated every statistic from laps led to race wins. However, NASCAR’s ingenious playoff format derailed his run during the business end of the year.

Now, those who have seen Larson progress over the years, know that this setback isn’t something he is going to take lightly. Although it is tough to navigate or weave through the unknown of the knockout stages, the HMS star is determined to make amends in 2025.

Expect Kyle Larson to script a comeback run in the NASCAR Cup Series

Let us have a brief look at how good Larson was throughout the 2024 Cup Series season with the help of numbers. The driver of the #5 Chevy Camaro had the most number (6) of wins, the most top-5 finishes (15), the most number of stage wins (12), and the most number of laps led (1700). Well, he managed to do all of this despite featuring in 35 races. Which is one less than the usual 36. He wasn’t able to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 race after being held up for his Indy 500 debut.

These numbers might suggest that he had a smooth sailing season, but that wasn’t the case as the #5 team had their fair share of troubles. The phase of five races in the fall from Michigan to Watkins Glen, in particular, was a tough one for them. Throughout these five races, Larson only managed a single top 5 finish until he roared back in form at Bristol Motor Speedway.

But his championship run came to an end after troubles on pit road at Las Vegas, and in Homestead, his tires gave up on him. At this stage of the competition, margins of error were really fine, and these untimely errors and freak accidents proved too costly for the HMS star. Tyler Reddick’s clutch win at Homestead, followed by Ryan Blaney’s heroics at Martinsville, meant that Larson wouldn’t make it in the Championship 4.

The Championship 4 didn’t have the likes of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell. To make matters worse, Joey Logano clinched the title, which enraged the NASCAR community and called out the playoff format. But, unlike the fans, Larson is focused on his next gig. “Obviously, you want to make the final four and have a shot at the championship, but I also understand the format and know how crazy it can be, so I don’t let finishing sixth in points take anything away from our season.” He said this to NASCAR.

He acknowledged that his team had their noses in front for the most of the season, and he will be back to complete the job in 2025. “We led the series in most every category, so I’m really proud of the team and their hard work. And I think we left some out on the table, so I’m excited about next year and hope we can continue to evolve and get stronger as a team and win some more races and lead more laps. I’m hoping for more good things for next year and I’m already excited to get the year started,” he added.

Well, Larson’s redemption run isn’t just restricted to NASCAR for the 2025 season. We all know how his attempt at the historic double turned out this year. So, he is geared up to have a second bite at the Indy 500 cherry and also complete the 1100 miles in a single day by returning for the Coca-Cola 600.

The Indy 500 dream lives on

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Kyle Larson is one of the few special talents in NASCAR who pretty much can excel at all disciplines of racing. He has showcased his prowess by winning a variety of events on dirt and asphalt before reigning supreme at the NASCAR level. However, he had his eyes set on adding an Indy 500 win to his resume. And he had a shot at it in 2024, partnering with the Arrow McLaren team.

Now, this year’s attempt wasn’t a success, as he had to ditch the start of the Cup race at Charlotte, and he finished 18th in a rain-delayed event at the Brickyard. He did make his way back to the Cup event only to see it get washed out due to rain. As if things weren’t against him already, his team, Hendrick Motorsports, was embroiled in drama with NASCAR over Larson’s waiver request.

This drama and series of unfortunate events cast a shadow of doubt over Larson’s return to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. But Rick Hendrick and McLaren boss Zak Brown were able to engineer a deal to allow the driver to have a redemption run. “I appreciate the second opportunity because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1,100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events.”

Given Larson’s ability behind the wheel, it’s hard to bet against him. Be it in NASCAR or other forms of racing. The 2025 season is one where he will look to overcome the challenges of 2024, and set out new goals and target.