The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series has reached its boiling point with only eight playoff drivers left heading into Las Vegas. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Kyle Larson has already notched up two wins these playoffs, making himself a force to be reckoned with in the battle for the championship.

Larson had an utterly dominant performance in his first playoff win of the season at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, leading for 462 out of 500 laps. He did not give an inch to his competition, and three weeks later, at the Charlotte Roval, he led 62 out of 109 laps to enter the Round of 8 on top of the standings. The 2021 Cup Series Champion is 4 four races away from claiming his second title and feels as confident as ever.

Kyle Larson looks back at impressive record on Round of 8 tracks

After a smooth win at the ROVAL, Kyle Larson looks to refresh memories from 2023 while heading into Vegas. The No. 5 won the race in Vegas last year to secure his place in the championship 4, edging out Christopher Bell, just like he did at the Roval last race. Larson also won the first Vegas race of 2024 in March, leading 181 out of 267 laps.

In a video uploaded to Instagram by NASCAR, Larson elaborated on his plan for the Round of 8, saying, “Yeah, great momentum for us for sure. Vegas is probably our best track. Homestead’s a track that I just love. Martinsville is a tricky place but we’ve been strong there. I would love to start these rounds out a little better. Yeah, not good to start the rounds with stress. I would love to win one of these next three, set the tone for the round of 8″

Homestead-Miami saw a Kyle Larson masterclass in 2022, where he led 199 out of 267 laps to win the race with ease. His dominance speaks for itself in Miami with one win, five top 10, and five top 5 finishes in 10 starts. However, 2023 was not a fond memory for the HMS driver as he crashed out of the race after a pit lane incident involving Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney that saw him crash into the sand barriers.

Hendrick Motorsports stamped their authority on Martinsville earlier this year, with all the top 3 drivers being HMS drivers; Chase Elliott finishing in third place and Larson narrowly finishing 2nd to fellow HM driver William Byron. However, the No. 5 did win the most points that race with a stage 1 victory.

Despite his strong finishes and dominating victories, Larson admittedly has had troubles towards the start of races. His most recent one came at the start of the 2024 playoffs at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, which saw his race end after crashing into Chase Briscoe in stage 1, Lap 56. Nevertheless, Larson still has the most laps led of any driver so far this season with 1614 and is going into the playoffs in red-hot form.

Kyle Larson almost missed out on this year’s playoffs

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As you can guess by now, Kyle Larson has been, statistically, the best driver this season, but why did he almost not make the playoffs? Well, to know that, you would have to jog your memory back to June 2024 when Larson attempted to compete at the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The day started with rain in Indianapolis, delaying the start of the race, and Larson decided to stay on and finished 18th due to a late speeding penalty.

The HMS driver was supposed to travel to Charlotte for his Cup series race, but the delayed start prevented him from getting there on time, which is not something NASCAR appreciates. The NASCAR Rule Book covers eligibility in Section 12.3.2.1.A, which states: “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs. If a starting position was not earned, then the driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must have attempted to Qualify, at the discretion of the Series Managing Director, for the Race.”

Since Kyle Larson did not start the race, NASCAR had the right to revoke his playoff eligibility in what would be a shocking turn of events. Standby driver Justin Allgaier took his place at Charlotte as Larson was not to be seen. However, Larson did show up to Charlotte eventually, but to his misfortune, the rain seemed to follow him as it poured in Charlotte, too, with the race being halted and never resumed.

With the race not resuming, NASCAR had a decision to make, whether they would give a waiver to Larson or revoke his playoff eligibility. Waivers are usually provided on a medical basis, but this was a rather unusual case. NASCAR senior vice president Elton Sawyer said, “There was a lot of discussion internally. … We ultimately landed at giving Kyle a waiver. Essentially our decision-making was, although we had the inclement weather in Indianapolis as well as Charlotte, Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte. He was standing in the pit box with his helmet on ready to go.”

Larson’s commitment to showing up saved his season, as the weather had a huge opportunity to play spoilsport. With a drama-filled road to the playoffs and dominating performances throughout, the No. 5 has set the stage perfectly for his second championship run. Do you think Kyle Larson will go all the way in 2024?