When it comes to Kyle Larson, he’s got his eyes set firmly on that championship path, and he’s not backing down from the fight. In fact, he’s got plenty of reasons to believe he can get there. Sure, the point leads have a way of disappearing overnight in the Next Gen era, just ask anyone who’s seen a solid gap vanish in a single weekend. Even compared to his Hendrick teammates, points leader William Byron and fan favorite Chase Elliott, Larson is confident the field is wide open.

First up is Watkins Glen, a technical road course where Larson has already claimed two recent wins. Then comes Richmond, a short track that’s been more of a puzzle for him. And finally, the high-stakes chaos of Daytona, a place where one wrong move in the draft can erase an entire season’s work.

And, Larson’s goal is clear: match the precision and pace he’s shown before and carry it through to the playoffs.

Larson eyes the late-season surge

On asking what’s the thing that will help him win the regular-season championship, the No. 5 Chevy driver said, “Yeah, I mean, some good finishes, good stage points these next few weeks will be really important. We are not out of it. I think you’ve seen big swings kind of happen in points for Next Gen racing. Which is how crazy the races get. Watkins Glen has been a track that we were good at, the previous two years before last year. Richmond’s kind of a hit-and-miss track for us, and then Daytona, anything can happen. So yeah, we’re not out of it.” And, there’s a solid basis for such optimism.

While Larson sounded confident, in 2024 as well, he carried less buffer entering Watkins Glen. And, I was also pushed behind due to some last-minute tire issues. But one can also not sideline his two victories from 2021 and 2022 under the Chevy banner.

Coming back to the current scenario, the points lead has vanished in a single weekend due to the equal opportunity and unpredictable nature of the Next Gen era. The three tracks that lie ahead present very different obstacles: the technical road course at Watkins Glen, where Larson has won twice recently; the short-track chess match at Richmond, where he has struggled; and the wild-card drafting pack at Daytona, where the No. 5 has never been able to cross the checkered, and where a single crash can wipe out a whole lead. However, if we go by the team owner, he’d like to see a different driver win this time. 

Talking about how the No. 24 has done so well for HMS, and its legacy over the years, Rick Hendrick mentioned he’d like to see No. 24 back in the victory lane again. “The 24 won our first championship, and that’s the no. that everybody here… which is close to everybody’s heart… we’ve seen Chase win the no. 9,  and 5 is the first no. Kyle won his first championship and to see that car win again with William will be super special… that no. means so much to us… it’d be very very special to see the 24 in the victory lane someday.”

On the other hand, the same instability that could harm Larson could also work to Chase Elliott’s advantage. The amount of time Larson has to bridge the deficit might drastically decrease if Elliott falters, whether due to poor strategy, unlucky traffic, or getting involved in accidents.

In all, Larson’s goal for the next three weeks is to establish the tone and margin for the upcoming battles, not just chasing Elliott. While that’s on the track side, off the track, Larson was heard making big claims on what has hurt NASCAR’s reputation. 

Larson says Talladega Nights is responsible

Although Kyle Larson has nothing against racing films, he feels that one of the most well-known comedies in the category damaged NASCAR’s reputation.

Speaking about the movie, he said, “I like the movie. I think it did not do anything good for our sport. I think it turned our sport into like a joke, unfortunately. That has to be one of the most popular movies… but I feel like the rest of the world, that’s what they think about our sport, now,”

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was a box office success and a cultural icon when it was released in 2006. Although its extravagant comedy brought NASCAR to a larger audience, some in the sport, like Larson, have argued that it served to reinforce caricatures rather than highlight the talent and passion of the competition. The relationship between NASCAR and Hollywood has always been complex, alternating between humorous and somber representations, such as in the 1990 classic Days of Thunder.

And Larson indeed pointed out this Tom Cruise classic as his favorite, along with the Senna documentary on Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion also hinted that Days of Thunder could be making a return. “I was with Jeff Gordon the other night, and he’s good friends with Tom [Cruise]… Right when I saw Tom, he was like, ‘We’re doing it, we’ve got to do another Days of Thunder.’”

Larson didn’t hesitate when asked if he would want to be part of it. “I would be in it. I would like to be in it,” he said. Given his life story, which is often compared to the lead character Cole Trickle in the movie, it’ll be interesting to see what role Larson could go on to play in the sequel, if he ever gets the opportunity.