WATCH: When Joe Gibbs’ Superstar Outran Retiring Icon Kevin Harvick to Steal Kyle Larson’s Roval Crown

NASCAR will race at the Charlotte Roval this Sunday for the final round of 12 races in the Cup Series. Apart from William Byron and Ryan Blaney, no one has cemented their place in the round of 8 so far. There is scope for a lot of shock eliminations. Charlotte Motor Speedway has always delivered unpredictable results, and fans can be sure that in 2023 things will be just as chaotic as last year, when, at the end of the day, it was Joe Gibbs who was celebrating the victory.

Last season, Kyle Larson was racing to defend his ROVAL crown going into the race. However, things took a turn for the worse. The Hendrick Motorsports man perhaps had one of his worst days of the season. This time around, the driver of the #5 will be looking for a shot at redemption. Kyle Larson will be hoping to finish the round of 12 on a high and carry that momentum into the next round.

Joe Gibbs celebrated as Rick Hendrick’s star suffered a horrible fate.

Road courses in NASCAR have always had a bad reputation for not bringing out enough caution. Drivers are slower than they are on ovals as they tiptoe their way through the chicanes. Racing on ovals for the majority of the year tends to diminish one’s road course skills. But chaos last season ensued in the final stage that completely shook the field. 

With 3 laps to go, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, and AJ Allmendinger were fighting for the lead of the race. Elliott spun out near the end of the lap as Harvick took the lead, and Christopher Bell came out of nowhere to take P2. With a couple more laps left, Christopher Bell took the lead from Kevin Harvick with two to go and held on to his position until the end. It was nothing short of a miracle for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who had to win to advance to the round of 8. Defending champion Kyle Larson lost his Charlotte crown, but that was the least of his concerns.

With 30 laps to go in the race, Kyle Larson had found himself well over 20 points above the cutline. That advantage slowly began diminishing as the rest of the race unfolded. On the final lap, the HMS leading star’s lead had gone down to just one point. But it was not his day. The defending Cup Series champion lost both his Charlotte crown and his Cup Series crown as Chase Briscoe knocked him out of the last eight on points. Here’s a recap of the 2022 Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson finds himself in a similar situation this year as well. As No. 5 is currently 15 points ahead of the cutline, which is not enough for him to breathe easily, he is one who learns from his mistakes. Going into the Roval, Kyle Larson will actively avoid being in a similar position as he was in last season.

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Kyle Larson is looking for redemption at the Roval

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At one point, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver seemed like the clear title favorite. But a couple of below-par finishes in the round of 12 have landed him in a world of trouble. Kyle Larson admitted that his finishes at the Roval have not been consistent, but he is a race winner at the venue.

“I like the Roval. I think it’s fun. It is a sketchy cut-off race. Yeah, I feel like I have got caught up in more mess than I have clean finishes. But we did win there a couple of years ago. So, I know we can have a good run again,” he said, speaking to WCNC’s Ashley Stroehlei.

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Will the driver of the No. 5 be able to redeem himself at one of the trickiest tracks on a calendar? Or will it be deja vu from last season? Let us know your thoughts.