Kyle Larson finds Vegas smooth going

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 02: Kyle Larson (#5 HendrickCars.com Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) during practice for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube NASCAR Cup Series race on March 2, 2024, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Gary Nastase/LVMS/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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In 15 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson boasts an admirable average finish of 9.9.

And since signing with Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, Larson’s performance at the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway has been nothing short of remarkable.

Larson claimed the winner’s trophy in his first Vegas start with Hendrick and since has posted two runner-up finishes and another victory, in the 2023 Playoff race last October.

In his six starts with Hendrick, Larson has led 421 of a possible 1,613 laps at LVMS for an impressive percentage of 26.1.

The 2021 series champion noted that the feel of his Hendrick cars is markedly different from that of the cars he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2014 through 2020.

“For me, it’s just really that (Hendrick’s) setups are really good here,” Larson said. “It fits the bumps really well in (Turns) 1 and 2. Compared to when I was at Ganassi, it’s not that I struggled here, but I struggled getting through the bumps.

“The bumps felt massive with Ganassi, but with Hendrick, it feels mostly pretty smooth there. So they’ve got a really good package for that, and it allows you to carry a lot of speed. So, yeah, we’ve run inside the top 10 every time except where the one where we crashed here a couple years ago (fall race of 2022).

“Yeah, it’s definitely been a good track.”

Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service
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