Kyle Larson has turned a 55-point deficit into a 49-point championship lead in six Chase races, taking the NASCAR Cup Series standings away from Denny Hamlin. The JGR veteran entered the postseason as the top seed after leading much of the regular season, but Larson hasn’t finished outside the top five, and the gap between them has swung by 104 points.
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Larson first moved ahead of Hamlin by a single point after Bristol, then stretched that advantage with his win at Kansas. Las Vegas and Charlotte widened it further, leaving Hamlin chasing a driver who has found his best form at the most important time. Asked whether holding the lead brings more pressure than chasing it, particularly after championship leaders in NASCAR’s three national series had lost ground during the postseason, Larson dismissed the idea.
“I haven’t really thought about anything like that,” Larson had told media, including Frontstretch. “I think the media kind of tries to get you to think about it a lot, asking questions like that. But, no, I mean, for us, I think we’ve done a good job of just focusing on our race and trying to maximize it. And I don’t think that you should venture off of that. So, yeah, it’s easier said than done, I think. But we’ve done so well in these first five. Why change what your approach has been?”
Kansas showed why Larson has little reason to change course. He swept both stages, collected the fastest-lap bonus and passed Chase Briscoe with seven laps remaining to win. His 76 points marked the maximum possible under the points system, while Hamlin failed to match his rival’s haul. Larson left Kansas with a 26-point lead after moving ahead by just one at Bristol.
Las Vegas was expected to suit Joe Gibbs Racing, with Hamlin starting on pole and all four of its Toyotas running at the front early. Larson, meanwhile, lost eight positions during his opening stint and spent 26 seconds on pit road as his team worked on the car. He fell a lap down but recovered to finish second behind Briscoe.
Hamlin’s afternoon unravelled when he spun from fourth with three laps remaining in the opening stage, damaging his splitter. Because he kept the car off the wall, NASCAR did not throw a caution, costing the No. 11 team valuable track position under green.
On Lap 170, a fuel-pressure issue cost him another 12 positions. He finished 16th, surrendering another 14 points to Larson. What was predicted as a race in which JGR’s Hamlin could have bounced back instead ended with Larson extending his advantage.
It’s funny how things change so quickly in NASCAR. In the regular season, questions were raised at HMS and Chevy teams over lack of speed. And in the Chase, out of the blue, they are right in the front, leading the charge.
“I think we just took a lot of what we learned throughout the year,” Larson said. “Not that we weren’t, but we were constantly learning, and it’s just kind of peaked at the right point. And then our team’s just been executing.
“It’s been amazing. I definitely didn’t think that we would start off the Chase like this. So, yeah, just proud of the team, and, yeah, it’s just cool. You can never count out Hendrick Motorsports. So, it was tough to stay motivated and think that we would get to this point in the summer. But, again, I mean, you can’t count them out. They prove it all the time.”
If Denny Hamlin viewed Sunday’s Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as a chance to take back control, Kyle Larson had other plans. Despite previously saying that he doesn’t feel very comfortable at the bumpy oval, Larson made an early statement. He started from the pole, led a race-high 97 laps, and captured Stage 1.
When his handling faded late in the race, Larson shifted his focus to bringing home a solid finish.
“I was not in a position of power. I was hanging on,” Larson admitted after the checkered flag. That approach helped him secure sixth place despite losing some of his early pace.
Hamlin finished fifth, one spot ahead of Larson, but his result came with plenty of concerns. A pit road penalty and fading long-run speed left the Joe Gibbs Racing driver looking for improvements.
“Just the long-run speed, and obviously, it tanked there the last 15 laps or so,” Hamlin told reporters after the race. “Got to execute better, get a little faster – all of the above. Ultimately, we’re giving it all we’ve got right now.”
For Hamlin, however, the current effort isn’t enough to close the gap. Larson’s Stage 1 win helped him outscore Hamlin overall at Charlotte, extending his championship lead to 49 points. With only a few races left, the No. 11 team needs to turn its pace into stronger results. Otherwise, Larson could make the most of his advantage as the title fight enters its final stretch.