“Best driver in the world!” Many on X posted this with bitter sarcasm, soon after Kyle Larson spun himself out in last weekend’s Truck race. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver took that seriously and went on to win the race by beating Layne Riggs. The same glorious run was visible on Sunday at the same track, Homestead-Miami Speedway. Yet as a ‘best driver’s attitude goes, Larson was not satisfied.

The ‘golden boy’ has a mixed history at the South Florida track. While holding Cup records for laps led (645) and stage wins (six), Kyle Larson also has painful memories of losses in Homestead. He smashed into the sand barrels guarding the pit road in 2023 and spun out while battling for the lead last fall. So Larson admittedly felt scared of a repeat of the same bad luck.

Kyle Larson confesses to biting his nails

Well, a fresh heartbreak was already floating in his head. During the Hard Rock Bet 300 race on Saturday, Kyle Larson was the dominant racer, having a 17-second lead on the entire field until the last caution flag with 8 laps to go. His rival, Sam Mayer, plowed into his rear bumper and ruined Larson’s chances for a triple-header sweep as Justin Allgaier stole the win. So after initial problems dawned on Larson during the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race, the HMS star was worried. He dealt with a poor starting position of 14th, along with pit road mishaps and bad restarts. The untimely yellows neutralized the No. 5 Chevrolet, which ranked 24th in restart speed.

This slow pace left Kyle Larson sweating in anticipation – as he was eager to “kick everybody’s a–, honestly,” as he said after the race. Now, in a recent episode of ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’, Larson confessed he was restless after leading for just 19 laps – contrary to his Cup record there. “On Sunday…me not leading any laps – I was getting kind of frustrated at that. Because I am used to leading most laps there. And I was not able to get to the front enough to lead those laps. So it was definitely difficult to overcome the mental frustration… with me being used to dominating there the whole time. But I think that’s what made it more rewarding to win that.”

Larson’s frustration is understandable. The HMS driver has led over 120 laps at the track on three different occasions. How many of those races did he win? Just one, in October 2022, when he led 199 laps and dominated both stages. So, when Larson realized he wasn’t leading many laps, the frustration of losing out at a track that favors him kicked in yet again. But this time he held his nerve and forced his teammate, Alex Bowman, into a mistake with under 10 laps to go to take the lead and get his first win of the season. Larson’s domination at Homestead also mirrors that of the host of the ‘Happy Hour’, Kevin Harvick, at Atlanta!

Kevin Harvick at Atlanta was a sight to behold. The 2014 Cup Series Champion has 3 wins and led a staggering 1360 laps in 36 races at the track. Larson even admitted that, “I would say, me at Homestead feels very similar to you in Atlanta. Everybody knew that I was your competitor, and I knew that something miraculous had to happen to beat you.” 

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Kyle Larson was on the receiving end of Harvick’s prowess in 2019 when the latter toppled his pace. Despite leading for 142 laps in Atlanta, a speeding penalty cost Larson his momentum while Harvick grabbed a stage win and finished 4th as Larson ended in 7th. On Sunday at Homestead, people had doubts about Larson initially as the racer could not seem to claim the lead. However, after a late pit stop saw him claim the lead from Denny Hamlin, Larson maintained his track position enough to seal the victory.

Kyle Larson compared his dominance at Homestead to Harvick’s at Atlanta regarding the pressure he feels to win. “I would imagine that you were very confident going there. As far as the pressure goes, I don’t really feel like I put the added pressure on myself to win or anything like that. But I think the pressure is there to perform well and perform well throughout the whole race.”

Despite the shadow of doubt he cast over himself, Kyle Larson’s Homestead pace is undeniable. From his team head to a strong rival, everyone tipped their hat.

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Larson mastered the Homestead skill

Kyle Larson admitted that Sunday was “one of the coolest wins in my Cup career.” Having 30 Cup Series race wins and one championship, this statement sounded odd. The Homestead-Miami race was not for a championship – it neither was a playoff event nor was his first win at the track. The main reason lay in the unique nature of the 1.5-mile track.

It allows drivers to showcase a unique skill – running inches from the wall for lap after lap in order to generate the fastest lap time. As a dirt racer used to finding different lines for speed, Larson could pick up this skill with ease. And it was visible – when Alex Bowman scraped his car on the wall, Larson rode his car on the fence all the way to the finish line.

This skill of flirting with the wall to find one’s speed is not easy. 2024 Cup Series champion Joey Logano heavily agrees – which marks his respect for Larson’s win. “It’s not comfortable, I can tell you that much right now. You’re on the ragged edge and you’re literally an inch off the wall. You run into a corner a mile an hour too fast and boink, you’re in the wall.” HMS Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon also lauded Larson’s dirt racing skill in play. “You just can’t ever count out Kyle Larson, and especially at this place. Watching him at his craft at this track, it’s like watching him at (dirt tracks) Knoxville or Eldora.”

So despite his doubts about his momentum, Kyle Larson’s peers know the kind of force he is in Homestead. Let us see where the HMS star fetches his second win of the season. Could it be at Bristol in April as he attempts the weekend sweep for the second time this season? Let us know in the comments!