NASCAR: Kyle Larson could do what hasn’t been done since 2007
By Asher Fair
Kyle Larson is set to enter this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Martinsville Speedway riding a streak of three consecutive victories.
If any of this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. An untimely flat tire, however, opened up the possibility for it to be relevant once again, and a recent surge by Kyle Larson in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs has solidified it as such.
Larson won the round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval before opening up the round of 8 with a Championship 4 berth-clinching victory at Texas Motor Speedway and then another victory at Kansas Speedway.
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Prior to this three-race surge, the driver of the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports had never won a points-paying race at any of these three tracks.
The last time there was a race that Larson didn’t win was more than three weeks ago, when Bubba Wallace won a rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway to secure not only his first career victory but the first for the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-owned 23XI Racing team in their maiden season in the Cup Series.
As a result, in this Sunday’s round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, the 29-year-old Elk Grove, California native has a chance to do something that nobody has done since the 2007 season, and that is earn four consecutive victories.
This feat has not been achieved since Jimmie Johnson pulled it off en route to his second overall — and consecutive — championship 14 years ago. The now seven-time champion won races at Martinsville Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway to make history late that season.
Larson has been in this position before, however, and he lost his chance at history in devastating fashion.
After winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway back in late spring (May/June), Larson led the race at Pocono Raceway heading into the final corner on the final lap.
But a flat tire set him into the wall, allowing teammate Alex Bowman to pass him for the win. Larson crossed the finish line in ninth place, ending his streak.
However, is anybody really surprised that he has managed to go on another three-race winning streak so soon?
Larson’s history at Martinsville Speedway isn’t great, with an average finish of 21.08 in 13 starts and just three finishes inside the top 13, but he finished in fifth place there in what was his first start at the track with Hendrick Motorsports back in April.
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Sunday’s 500-lap race at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia, the Xfinity 500, is set to be broadcast live on NBC beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Make sure to begin your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not done so!