Kyle Larson: Five Possible Landing Spots in 2018
By Asher Fair
No. 5 – Hendrick Motorsports
Kasey Kahne, the current driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, has declined in productivity over the years despite having 17 career NASCAR Cup Series victories to his name. He has not won a race since he won at Atlanta in 2014, and he has just one top 10 finish in the championship standings since he finished in 10th place back in the 2009 season.
GreatClips, Kahne’s primary sponsor, announced that they would end their partnership with the team following this season, and one of his other sponsors, Farmer’s Insurance, also announced that they would not renew their deal with the team. Kyle Larson, however, would most definitely attract sponsors to the #5 car seeing as how young and talented he is already and how much potential he still has.
While Kahne is under contract through 2018, he himself admitted that he needs to step down if he’s not performing by 2018. Without sponsors heading into 2018, however, he may decide to retire early, especially seeing as how he is currently way down in 20th place in the championship standings, which would be tied for his lowest finish in the standings since 2005 if it holds, despite having his best career two-race start to a season.
Hendrick Motorsports has been the best team in NASCAR in this generation, and that is still the case today, and they still have the defending champion and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson driving their #48 car to back up that statement. The team has won 12 of the past 22 championships, including streaks of four and five in a row with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, respectively.
In fact, just one of the team’s 12 championships was not won by Gordon or Johnson, two of the greatest drivers of all time. Certainly the team would not mind picking up another future star in the making like Larson, who could definitely go on a championship run of his own.
This move would team Larson up with another rising star in Chase Elliott in the #24 car, who just had his contract extended, as well as seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the #48 car, who also just had his contract extended. Like Larson, both are championship contenders at this very moment. Larson driving the #5 Chevrolet would be a win-win for both he and the team.