Kyle Larson Asserts the Significance of Qualifying as Next Gen Continues to Struggle on Short Tracks

40 years after Geoff Bodine changed the course of Hendrick Motorsports’ history with his win at Martinsville, Kyle Larson is aiming to do the same as a fitting tribute to Rick Hendrick. With that said, the #5 Chevrolet driver arrived at the HMS fortress this weekend, proceeding with great caution. But now that the approach to racing will differ vastly from Superspeedway and Road-course races, Larson’s primary focus isn’t on delivering thrilling overtakes during the Cookout 400 but on defending from the very front.

Last weekend at Richmond was a recovery unlike any other for Kyle Larson after he made contact with Bubba Wallace. Whilst many believed karmic justice was delivered swiftly when Larson finished on the podium, it has created a sense of paranoia within the #5 garage. Although he got away with a solid result last time, Larson might not be as fortunate this weekend if he loses out on track position.

Larson’s focus on qualifying could pay off after securing the pole position but the #5 driver remains cautious

The Next-Gen car has thrown curve balls at several drivers ever since its debut. But whilst overtakes are fairly manageable with drafting on superspeedways, that certainly isn’t the case for short-track racing. Drivers will now have to use the brake at every corner, making defensive maneuvers far more crucial to avoid dive bombs and aggressive overtakes. With that said, passing at Martinsville or any short track is easier said than done with the Next Gen car.

Now that drivers can just resort to stepping on the brakes to end the trailing driver’s charge, track position is definitely key. Kyle Larson reflected on the importance of qualifying well to maintain an advantage before the race. He shared with Sirius XM, “The short track stuff, as we’ve seen with Next Gen cars, they are really difficult to pass at, so qualifying is very very important and kind of saw that a little bit in practice.”

For Larson, the fact that bagging pole position would play a vital role became clear when the weekend kickstarted with practice. He shared, “I felt like, watching the first group of cars, like Bell and William were catching Truex and really couldn’t get close enough to make a pass so, you’ll see that a lot tomorrow.” Now that the #5 HMS driver is starting in pole position, this insight could change the way he approaches the race.

With short-track racing, drivers don’t just need to deal with overtaking their immediate competitors, but more often than not, they also need to lap the backmarkers. This creates an additional layer of uncertainty with overtakes, making Kyle Larson feel qualifying is most essential to success at Martinsville. He concluded, “Things will get crazier and the track will get a lot of rubber so it will be easier to pass tomorrow. But for sure, I think since we’ve gone to the Next Gen stuff, qualifying is way more important than it used to be.”

READ MORE: Shane van Gisbergen Finally Fights Back at a Nail-Biting Martinsville Race

Whilst Kyle Larson had his doubts about how racing would unfold at the half-mile short track, a lot is riding on the #5 driver’s shoulders this weekend.

Kyle Larson leads the HMS effort to make the 40th Anniversary memorable for Rick Hendrick

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With Rick Hendrick set to lead the drivers in the pace car and Jeff Gordon prepared to wave the checkered flag, the pressure is now on the Hendrick Motorsports drivers to make their 40th Anniversary memorable. Whilst William Byron and Alex Bowman placed in the top 15 as well, it was Kyle Larson who led Chase Elliott on the grid in a 1-3 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Looking back on what is now a lot of pressure to deliver, Larson was delighted to have the lead at a circuit where track position is vital. The #5 driver shared, “That was honestly a bit unexpected, I knew it would be good I just, the second lap didn’t feel that great, it was just enough though. So really cool to get this 40th Anniversary Hendrick Camaro on the pole and it seems all four Hendrick cars are really good too.”

With Larson leading the team’s charge at the half-mile short track rightfully dubbed the HMS fortress, he took a moment to reflect on the gravity of his situation. Running Linda Hendrick’s name on his car as homage, Larson aims to deliver a weekend that Rick Hendrick will never forget. He concluded, “So hopefully it’s a good day for the organization and we can be celebrating for Rick and Linda and everybody that’s been a part of this organization for the forty years. So, really excited about it, number one pit stall is going to be great. Just got to execute a good race.”

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After taking a look at all the prep Kyle Larson has put in to become the favorite for the win at Martinsville, do you think Hendrick Motorsports’ 40th Anniversary will surpass all expectations?