Getty Kyle Larson celebrates a win at Watkins Glen International.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson locked up his fifth win of the season on Sunday, Aug. 8, at Watkins Glen International. He added to his points total and tied Denny Hamlin atop the standings. Now he will strive to add even more points before a race that favors the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
Speaking with media members following his fifth win of the season, Larson clarified that he is not yet comfortable with the situation as the end of the regular season approaches. Sitting in a tie with Hamlin for the points lead gives him room to work as he fights for the championship, but Larson is well aware that the driver of the No. 11 will be the heavy favorite during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Aug. 28.
“[Hamlin]’s so good at Daytona, too, so it would be nice to get a couple good weeks and get that point lead because I know he’s going to go there, and anything can happen at Daytona but I know he’s going to go there and he’s going to get stage points and he’s going to challenge for the win,” Larson said after the race at Watkins Glen.
“I know he’s looking at me as the same. If he could go into Daytona being even or ahead, he’s going to feel like he’s got the advantage. I’d like to have a good couple weeks before we get there and give us a little bit of wiggle room.”
Larson Expects Even More Battles With Hamlin at the Track
GettyDenny Hamlin (front) races Kyle Larson (rear) at Las Vegas.
With the driver of the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet Camaro sitting in a tie atop the standings, there is extra pressure on Hamlin. The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota Camry remains winless and will have to reach the playoffs by stacking up enough points and hoping that there are not three new winners in the final three races of the regular season.
Hamlin has already faced off with several of the best drivers in the Cup Series while fighting for points, but Larson has the expectation that he will see the driver of the No. 11 even more in the remaining three races. Hamlin knows that he has to finish ahead of Larson to lock up more points and retake his lead. He can’t afford to fall further back in the pack.
“[Hamlin] ran me really hard at Road America and put me in a couple bad spots to where I almost ended up in the grass or if I didn’t lift I was going to send him spinning,” Larson added during his media availability. “So then I knew points were on his mind and trying to hold me back is definitely on his mind.
“Yeah, it’s fun racing him, and I look forward to the next few weeks and really even into the playoffs. There’s still a lot of racing left, and yeah, it’s going to be fun. I’m glad there’s a fun little regular-season point battle, and I feel like in years past it’s kind of been a blowout come the last race of the points. But yeah, to be tied with three races left is pretty cool.”
Larson Has Yet to Win at Daytona International Speedway
The reason that the Coke Zero Sugar 400 is such an important race in this battle is that Larson and Hamlin have very different histories at the superspeedway. The driver of the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet has never reached Victory Lane at the 2.5-mile track and only has a career-best finish of sixth, which he achieved during the 2016 Coke Zero 400.
Hamlin, on the other hand, has won three races at Daytona. He captured the Daytona 500 for the first time in 2016 and then repeated the feat twice more in 2019 and 2020. In total, Hamlin has 31 total starts at the superspeedway in his career and 11 top-five finishes.
Given their respective histories at Daytona, Larson will have to fight for a win at a different oval — Michigan Speedway. He has superior stats at the two-mile track than Hamlin, accounting for three consecutive wins and five top-five finishes in 12 starts. For comparison, Hamlin has 30 starts with two wins and nine top-five finishes.
Prior to taking on Michigan and Daytona, the two drivers will first have to continue their battle for points on another road course. They will take on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time during the inaugural Verizon 200 at The Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 15, at 1 p.m. ET.
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