Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson, today, is considered to be one of the most talented and fearless drivers on the NASCAR Cup Series grid. The #5 driver has had a fairly good year in the Cup in 2023 and he has a bright future ahead of him. 2024 will even see Larson race in an IndyCar at Indianapolis, but right now, his focus will be on winning the NASCAR Cup Series as he has qualified for the playoffs. Larson’s driving style has a lot of fans but its aggressive nature has also made people give him a lot of stick for causing crashes at times.

The 31-year-old will be on double duty this coming weekend for Hendrick Motorsports and he will be looking to end an unflattering record for his team. At Darlington, HMS will take part in the first race of the Cup Series playoffs and the Xfinity race as well, and Kyle Larson will be on duty for both. It will be the team’s last race in the Xfinity Series this year according to NASCAR journalist Austin Konenski.

Hendrick Motorsports Are Winless in 14 Years

While it might not be his immediate priority, Kyle Larson will go into the Xfinity race at Darlington with the hopes of ending a winless run for Hendrick Motorsports. A winless run for a team like HMS? Sounds unthinkable, right?

Well, the last time Rick Hendrick’s team won a race in the Xfinity Series was 14 years ago, all the way back in 2009. If Larson fails to win the race, HMS will go one and a half decades without winning a race in the Xfinity Series. It is unclear, however, if Rick Hendrick is really worried about this statistic because, let’s be honest, HMS has been an absolute monster in the Cup Series for a number of years now.

Regardless of that, there is nothing wrong with winning a race no matter what competition that might be in. The Xfinity race will prove to be an ideal precursor to the first playoff race of the season and Larson will need all the preparation he can get.

This year’s playoff field has been touted by experts to be one of the most competitive ones in recent times as there is no clear-cut favorite who has dominated proceedings in the regular season. Sure, the likes of Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Chris Buescher have had successful stints, but no one has been able to consistently dominate the field, and that is what makes this season so exciting.

So the Xfinity race will be a good place for Larson to get his head into the game in a competitive setup before race day and if he manages to win, well then it’s going to be a bonus for both him and the HMS team. But there is just one problem.

Fans are not exactly thrilled about Larson’s inclusion in Xfinity. Firstly, Darlington’s race will be crucial in setting the playoff field for the series, and the inclusion of Larson, who is not an Xfinity driver, maybe unfair to full-time Xfinity drivers. The #5 driver is also aggressive on track, which sometimes doesn’t sit well with fans.

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Fans Slam Kyle Larson’s Participation in Crucial Race

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NASCAR journalist Austin Konenski shared the news of Larson’s inclusion in the Darlington Xfinity race and the primary response from fans was that his entry in the race would cause one of the playoff hopefuls to end their season early.

This is what the fans had to say in the comments section, as most believed that it was extremely unfair for a Cup Series driver to be part of such a crucial Xfinity race.

“They should not be in the xfinity race at all….so unfair to the teams running for points and trying to get into the play offs😠,” wrote another fan.

People who clearly aren’t Larson or HMS supporters were absolutely brutal, wishing that he crashes or has an engine failure in the Xfinity race.

“Please wreck or have an engine go bye bye 🤦🏼‍♂️,” one fan wrote.

While others simply were of the opinion that the Xfinity race was the only thing Larson could win over the weekend.

“Only way he can win this weekend,” commented another fan.

Larson’s inclusion in the Xfinity race at Darlington has caused somewhat of an outrage, but it’s understandable. It will be a crucial race for the drivers who are hoping to secure a playoff berth and the inclusion of a Cup driver will only make things tricky and, indeed, unfair. Let us know your thoughts on the debacle.

Watch This Story: Chase Elliott apologizes to Rick Hendrick and team for losing, after being confused by HMS’ decision