Getty Kyle Larson celebrates a win at Martinsville Speedway.
Kyle Larson has kicked off Darlington week by bringing a new partner to NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports. He and the No. 5 team will join forces with JINYA Ramen Bar.
Hendrick Motorsports announced the news with a press release on May 9 and confirmed that this is a multi-year deal that goes through the 2024 Cup Series season. JINYA will be an associate partner with branding on Larson’s firesuit, apparel, and post-race hat.
JINYA has dozens of locations across North America, which includes multiple markets that NASCAR visits. The list includes Charlotte, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Orlando.
“I’m really excited about the partnership with JINYA,” Larson said in a statement. “It’s awesome to see and be a part of bringing a brand-new sponsor to Hendrick Motorsports and our fans. We have some cool ideas in the works that tie the partnership together with our on-track success that we’ll announce soon.”
The Partnership Follows Another Strong Performance
GettyKyle Larson prepares for a race at Kansas Speedway.
Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, dealt with some inconsistency during the 2022 season. He won three races, but he also had multiple DNFs due to crashes and repeated engine issues.
Crashes and bad luck have resulted in four DNFs in the first 12 races of the 2023 season, but Larson has also celebrated two wins. He captured the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway.
Larson was also within one lap of winning at Kansas Speedway, but the situation changed after taking the white flag. Contact with the wall and Denny Hamlin led to him momentarily losing control. He slapped the wall once again, but he was able to keep moving forward before finishing second overall.
“Not only is Kyle a NASCAR star because of his supreme talent on the track, but he’s also the sport’s first-ever Asian-American driver, so we are thrilled to partner with him,” said JINYA founder and CEO Tomo Takahashi.
“Kyle has already picked up two wins this season and we can’t wait to see him make many more trips to victory lane while wearing the JINYA logo!”
Larson Still Has Ground To Make Up
Larson has two wins on the season, and he has a secure spot in the playoffs alongside Kyle Busch and William Byron. In the unlikely event that there are more winners than spots, they will still sit ahead of other drivers such as Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
That being said, Larson still has ground to make up in the remaining regular-season races. He is currently eighth in the championship standings with 338 points. He is seven ahead of Byron and 12 behind Ryan Blaney.
There are 14 races remaining before the playoffs begin, and Larson will use them to pursue more bonus points. He currently has 12 from his two race wins and two stage wins, but he would still start the Round of 16 closer to the cutline than he would prefer. Adding more points will create a cushion.
There are multiple races remaining in which Larson will draw attention based on his past success. This list includes Sonoma Raceway, Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Watkins Glen International, and Richmond Raceway.
Larson will use these tracks to pursue wins and points. He will also try to get JINYA into Victory Lane for the first time.