The Martinsville Speedway is all set to witness the epic showdown for the last two spots in the Championship 4. One driver who has made a promising impact throughout the season and accumulated six victories till now is Kyle Larson. But all his hard work could come undone if things don’t go according to plan this weekend.

The Homestead Miami Speedway was a chaotic race for Larson. A flat tire early in the race caused minor setbacks, yet he managed to claw his way back up to P5 at one point. While the 32-year-old seemed set for a promising comeback, spinning out late in the race, coupled with a slow pit stop because of issues with his diffuser, saw him finish in P13. Larson spoke on his mindset, heading to Martinsville during a tough playoff run.

Will Martinsville Speedway prove to be lucky for Larson once again?

In an interview with Peter Stratta, Kyle Larson recounted his relationship with the track. When the journalist asked him about his confidence going into the final Round of 8 race, highlighting his recent success, Larson said, “I have a lot more confidence now than I would have had there five years ago being this close to the cutoff.” Owing to his P11 finish in Las Vegas and P13 in Miami-Homestead, the HMS driver is 7 points below the cutline going into Martinsville.

The No.5 driver explained how the teams that have “the least chance of winning in Martinsville have already won in the Round of 8” – Logano for Team Penske and Reddick for 23XI Racing. So, per Larson, to ensure his spot in the Championship 4, he feels this weekend is a “must-win,” considering the likes of Byron, Bell, Hamlin, and Elliott have just as much of a chance of taking victory in Martinsville. Especially given the unpredictability of the track.

However, Larson and Martinsville do have a promising history, with Rick Hendrick playing a catalyst to the same, which is why he said, “I feel like since joining Hendrick, [Martinsville] has actually been one of my better tracks. Maybe not in terms of points scored, but finish-wise, we’ve won, finished second a couple of times, and finished in the top five maybe one or two times.”

The No.5 joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, and since then, his performance has seen an upward trajectory. Since then, he has an average finish of 7.0 at Martinsville compared to his career average finish, which is 16.7. Four of his career’s top five finishes at Martinsville happened after he joined Hendrick Motorsports, and this instilled hope among his fans. In 2023, he even grabbed the win at the NASCAR Cup Series Spring Race at Martinsville. 

Kyle Larson seems confident with his history, but there is still one thing that worries him. It seems as though the speed of the car has also been a point of concern for him. Compared to other drivers in the standings like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and William Byron, it is imperative for Larson to crack the “high-speed code.”

Talking about how speed can be an issue for him at Martinsville, Larson said, “I have confidence going there, but I haven’t had that dominating speed. I think my car is still much better than I am there. Recently, guys like Denny, Blaney, Chase, and William have had dominating speed, and those are all the guys I’m going up against. So, I think we’ll have a great car, and we’ll have a good shot, but it’s a tough place. It’s not a place that has never really been comfortable for me, even with the success we’ve had. It’s just a really tough track.”

Larson acknowledged that despite his formidable recent record, his pre-Hendrick past still haunts him at Martinsville. However, Denny Hamlin feels Larson’s speed is on a different level.

Denny Hamlin begs to differ with Larson

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Although Larson seems to be wary of Hamlin’s speed on track, the latter is much more confident of Larson. In an episode of Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, he opened up about how he thinks that Larson is one of the few ones who can make it to the “elite speed” club.  He said, “Speed-wise, I just don’t think there’s anyone, you know, besides us and the No.5 that are on an elite speed level”. 

Hamlin is also in contention for a Championship 4 spot and will look to bring out some vintage racing for Sunday. The No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has the most wins (5) at Martinsville of any full-time driver on the grid and only second all-time to Jimmie Johnson (9). A win would give Hamlin yet another shot at the elusive Cup series title and a chance to take his name out of the record books as the driver with the most wins of all time without a title.

Ahead of the Martinsville Speedway, Hamlin also shared his predictions. According to him, the spectators can expect an all-out battle between Kyle Larson and William Byron for the last two spots. Hamlin added, “All of a sudden, even [Christopher] Bell’s in a pretty good spot. [However], he needs to have a decent day at Martinsville. But yeah, the No.5 is going to have to race the No.24 pretty hard in Martinsville, and that’s gonna be a close one.” Who do you think will take the crown at Martinsville?