In many ways, Charlotte Motor Speedway can be considered Hendrick Motorsports’ home turf. The track is located just one mile away from the team’s headquarters, so it should come as no surprise that Kyle Larson’s victory at the Roval meant a little more to Rick Hendrick. Not only did the No. 5 Chevy driver secure his sixth win of the season, he also broke a two-year winless streak on a course where he has struggled to perform, especially since the Next-Gen car was introduced.

As expected, Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels was particularly pleased with the result, especially with the stakes being as high as they were. With four races to go before the season ends, the 36-year-old is hoping that the No. 5 team will keep the momentum going during the business end of the season.

Kyle Larson delivers a clutch performance

It was never going to be easy. Charlotte Roval’s 17-turn 2.28-mile track had undergone several modifications ahead of the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. Speedway Motorsports attempted to improve overtaking opportunities by making changes to the track’s layout by including sharp turns on the hybrid course. While Kyle Larson isn’t one to spend much time on the simulator, he was forced to do so this time around, leaving nothing to chance in the high-stakes race. It’s fair to say that the effort paid off, as the HMS driver led 62 laps, the majority of them coming in the closing stages.

When asked by SiriusXM NASCAR Radio about the pressure they were under to get the result at the Roval, Kyle Larson‘s crew chief Cliff Daniels candidly replied, “Well, it always is and not even just for us, I think the field probably feels that way. Just with this race being so close to home, it’s so nice. You know, I had my wife and my two kids here with me today. All of Mr Hendrick’s family is here and I would say that’s the case for all the teams, right? It’s so fun to be here and have the family environment that you kind of add the pressure to yourself to perform in front of your family and all your loved ones and here at home.”

Just like Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson’s result at Charlotte was yet another statement of victory. On paper, 1.511 seconds separated him from fellow playoff rival Christopher Bell, but in reality, the two couldn’t have been more far apart. The No. 5 Chevy driver missed out on competing at the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year, and the win was Larson’s way of redeeming himself after missing out on the ‘double’. However, it wasn’t all smiles for the Hendrick Motorsports team as Alex Bowman was disqualified after the race when his No. 48 Chevy failed the post-race inspection.

As things stand, Kyle Larson is at the top of the driver standings with just four races to go. The 32-year-old has won twice as many races in comparison to his rivals Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell and has momentum on his side going into the Round of 8. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a track Larson knows like the back of his hand, having won the 2023 South Point 400, and he will hope to replicate that performance this time around. While he remains an overwhelming favorite to make it to Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, the 32-year-old will be keeping complacency at bay during the upcoming high-stakes races.

Cliff Daniels credits the team for Larson’s Roval victory

They say “Teamwork makes the dream work”. In Kyle Larson’s case, that certainly appears to be true, going by his result at the 2024 Bank of America ROVAL 400. While the racing driver deserves all the plaudits for his dominant performance, he couldn’t have done it without the No. 5 Chevy team. Larson had a short pit stop at the end of Stage 1, but still made it to the top five after the opening 25 laps and finished in the top ten by the end of the second stage. The result at Charlotte Roval earned him five playoff points, which places the California native 33 points above the cutline going into the Round of 8.

Giving credit to everyone involved in helping get a result, crew chief Cliff Daniels said, “It was a great day all around for the team. We’ve had our ups and downs at this place and today I don’t know that we expected to have a day go as well as what it did today. We were kind of ready for, you know, all circumstances and scenarios. Ultimately, Kyle drove an amazing race, the pit crew did an amazing job on the pit road. Everybody at the shop prepared a great race car. Very proud of the road crew guys for grinding it out.”

It was Larson’s 29th victory of his career, surpassing Carl Edwards in NASCAR’s all-time wins list. After the race, the 32-year-old was seen celebrating the win with his daughter Audrey, just like he did with his son Owen at Bristol Motor Speedway three weeks ago. His sixth victory makes it the second-winningest Cup Series season of his career, having won 10 races on his way to lifting the Championship in 2021. Mathematically, the 32-year-old can equal that tally with four races remaining, even though the NASCAR world will consider the possibility unrealistic, even for a driver as talented and accomplished as Kyle Larson.