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Kyle Larson said he could tell during Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway that neither of his closest title rivals, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, was going to win.
Larson finished ninth after a strategy call left him a lap down, and he goes to the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway leading Bell by 67 points and Hamlin by 70.
Larson: ‘Denny wasn’t normal Denny’
“I could tell that Denny wasn’t normal Denny. I don’t know if the damage affected him or just being stuck in traffic affected him, but he didn’t look really any better than me,” Larson told RACER’s Kelly Crandall after the race.
“And then Bell, I could tell, just had better track position than us but wasn’t very good. And then I had two teammates kind of controlling the race up front, so I feel confident that those two guys wouldn’t win unless, you know, cautions or stuff would get crazy and things.”
https://x.com/KellyCrandall/status/2117037098750599295
His Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott finished first and second. Byron led 362 of the 500 laps.
‘I’m surprised that it’s that good’
Larson and Hamlin both stayed out during the green-flag pit stops in Stage 1. The call backfired, putting Larson a lap down and leaving both drivers without stage points. Larson got back on the lead lap with the free pass when Bell and Hamlin spun in a Lap 216 crash.
“I’m surprised that it’s that good,” Larson told NBC of his lead. “I’m happy, but I’m also bummed because there’s a lot of opportunity there in the stages. We were just on the wrong side of the strategy. Just kind of playing off Denny, mostly Denny, the 19 I’m sure as well.”
“Just struggling for grip about the last 50 laps. Unfortunately, went down a lap at the end. Thankfully we were able to get back on the lead lap. Other guys spent longer a lap down. It all could’ve been a lot worse tonight. Go to Homestead next week with a comfortable gap but still not locked up.”
Larson said he will “absolutely” feel the pressure this week. “Crazy things can happen,” he said. “Just gotta go there and execute like we have all Chase, be ready to capitalize.”
What Larson needs at Homestead
A driver can score at most 76 points in a race. Larson needs nine points at Homestead to clinch his third Cup title, and a 28th-place finish would get him there even without stage points. Bell and Hamlin each need to win the race, score big in the stages and have Larson finish near the back.
Hamlin finished sixth with damage to the left rear of his car, and Bell finished 10th.
The Cup Series finale is Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
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