“You Don’t Have to Win the Race”: Kyle Larson’s Calculated Approach Leading to Phoenix Could Be Key to His Success

The first person who breathed a sigh of relief in the Round of 8 was Kyle Larson. Winning the first 3rd playoff round race in Las Vegas, the #5 driver left his competitors in the dust to enter the gates of Phoenix. When, a week later, he crashed into the sand barriers at Homestead-Miami and retired his car, Larson would have only thanked himself for pushing hard at Vegas. By virtue of luck or not, the incident at Miami appears to have got to the nerves of Larson.

Talking to the press in the hours before the Xfinity 500, Larson acknowledged that there might be some shakiness at play in Phoenix despite his recent dominance in NASCAR.

Rick Hendrick’s #5 admits to nervousness despite recent show of prowess and Phoenix ticket

Before getting to Phoenix, Larson has one more race to go through. But it appears the #5 team has already begun drafting plans for the season finale. Answering a question that went, “You mentioned not being nervous for next week. Is that a good thing?”, Larson admitted that he might, in fact, get nervous. He answered, “I don’t know I might get nervous so I’m not saying I won’t be nervous. But, you know, I know there will be some nerves regardless.”

However, the former champion was also aware of what it takes to clinch the title at the finale. After all, this is not the first time that he is going to be doing this. Brushing the racing community on his 2021 glory, he continued, “But it’s still another race, and you don’t technically have to win the race to win the championship. So, you just want to do a good enough job to keep yourself in contention. Not make any mistakes and hopefully, be there at the end like we were in ’21.”

Before he gets to the final challenge of the season though, he still has one more opportunity to gather himself and showcase his meanness to the rest of the drivers. The Xfinity 500 that is soon to begin will prove vital, despite him already having a ticket to Phoenix.

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Kyle Larson has one more race to shine at and strengthen confidence before heading to the finale

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When the grid raced at the Virginian intermediate earlier this year, Larson clinched his second win of the year. With a recent average finish of 8.2 at the short circuit, he has one of the most favorable numbers in the current line-up. Adding to his chances on Sunday are the betting odds from Draft Kings that put him only behind Denny Hamlin as a favorite for the win. Though the driver has a legion shouting his name in support, the pressure of being among the best on the track can get to some, particularly, at calendar pinnacles like now.

Despite his accepting the presence of nerves as a normal heading to Phoenix, he was also self-aware of what the 500 laps at Martinsville could mean. He continued in his conversation, “You know a good finish [At Martinsville] would help confidence momentum always I think that’s the most important piece.” Larson has been one of the more feared drivers on the track this season. Clearly a favorite for the championship, he has made his purpose clear for Martinsville. While his contenders fight for those two remaining seats next to him, let’s watch if the #5 driver makes life more difficult for them.

Read More: Kyle Larson Announces Massive Goal for High Limit Racing Series Days After All-Star Acquisition From Tony Stewart