NASCAR Cup Series: Kyle Larson accuses Hendrick Motorsports of cheating

Kyle Larson has accused Hendrick Motorsports of cheating in that they tend to start off NASCAR Cup Series seasons slowly but find speed throughout the season.

Aside of the single-car qualifying session for the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season opener, the 61st annual Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway, which resulted in the team’s drivers sweeping the top four positions and locking up the front row of the starting grid for the race, Hendrick Motorsports have had a rocky start to the season.

Looking back at recent seasons, especially last season, this is nothing new for the four-driver team.

Through the season’s first two races, their four drivers have combined to record just one top 10 finish. This lone top 10 finish is Jimmie Johnson’s ninth place finish in the Daytona 500, which he recorded despite the fact that he was involved in a wreck in the pits toward the end of the race.

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Johnson’s finish in the season’s second race, the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, was a 24th place finish, which is the worst finish among the finishes of the team’s four drivers so far this season.

Meanwhile, Alex Bowman’s results in the season’s first two races are 11th and 15th, respectively, while Chase Elliott’s are 17th and 19th, respectively and William Byron’s are 21st and 17th, respectively.

But this overall mediocrity and lack of success hasn’t prevented Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson from accusing the team of cheating. In fact, it is this mediocrity and lack of success that has led him to do so.

Here is what the 26-year-old Elk Grove, California native had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

"“Atlanta is so different than any other track that we’re going to go the rest of the year that you can’t jump to conclusions off one week. I feel like Hendrick plays games in a way with NASCAR. I feel like they always start the year off kind of bad to like show NASCAR that they’re being nice and cooperating and following the rules and stuff, and then it gets a couple of months in, and they start cheating and finding some speed.“So I don’t know. But it was satisfying. It’s been satisfying the last few years to be considered the top Chevy team. That’s something that this race shop prides itself on, but we don’t need to be the best Chevy team. We want to be the best team.”"

Does Larson have a point, or is he letting off steam considering the fact that he is now on a 48-race win drought, which has included many races that he has been in position to win but failed to do so, and three of Chevrolet’s four victories since his most recent victory, which he recorded in the September race at Richmond Raceway in the 2017 season, have been earned by Hendrick Motorsports (Chase Elliott to be more specific)?

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What will we see out of Kyle Larson in the first NASCAR Cup Series race to utilize the new, full-fledged aero package this Sunday, March 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? What will we see out of Hendrick Motorsports? This race, the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, is scheduled to be broadcast live from the Las Vegas, Nevada track on Fox beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET, so be sure not to miss it.

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