Kyle Larson is back in the win column at last, holding off Joey Logano and the rest of the pack through a series of late-race restarts in Sunday's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. And just like that, he's up to second in points, only nine markers back of Denny Hamlin.
It had been so long since Larson last won a Cup Series race – 51 starts, to be exact – that you might've forgotten he's the defending series champion. Blame Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet's lack of speed this season for that, because if you ever thought the future first-ballot Hall of Famer just forgot how to drive, you were sorely mistaken.
Now, the question becomes whether or not Larson can keep his momentum going. The way the schedule lines up, he might.
Kyle Larson's margin for error is razor-thin, but don't count him out
Larson's return to Cup Series victory lane couldn't have come at a better time, and there's a good chance he goes back-to-back this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. In the previous four races at the Tennessee circuit, he's won twice and led 1,157 of a possible 2,005 laps.
After that, NASCAR visits three consecutive 1.5-mile intermediate tracks at Kansas Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas will have a leg up there, but Larson has been the one Chevrolet driver who's consistently been able to hold his ground with them on that track type this season.
Larson's title push will depend on two things: whether Chevy is good enough down the home stretch, and whether he can avoid any of back-breaking mistakes that have doomed him throughout his career. Where the first factor is concerned, it's a promising sign that his manufacturer just put seven cars in the top eight at Gateway, albeit in a high-attrition derby that saw many results not very reflective of speed.
With Hamlin's recent slump (at least by his standards), the points lead is there for the taking. But it's going to require eight races of mistake-free execution and probably some luck too, which Larson and his No. 5 team have not had by and large this year.
It won't be easy by any means. But at the end of the day, if there's anyone who can overcome the odds, it's the most talented driver of his generation.
The past season and half has made an awful lot of people forget who Kyle Larson is. It's his time to remind them.
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