Kyle Larson positioned himself for another shot at a NASCAR Cup Series championship during the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, but his hopes took a hit when his car lost balance. Now, four months later, Larson returns to Phoenix aiming to capitalize on his strong start to the 2024 season.
“Our team has done a really good job this year of executing with the race cars that we bring,” Larson said. “Our pit crew has been doing a great job. It takes everything to be upfront, and I think that’s how we can continue our momentum.”
Larson heads into Sunday’s 312-mile race on Phoenix Raceway’s one-mile tri-oval fresh off a victory at Las Vegas last week, adding to his confidence for the upcoming race.
Alongside Larson, the rest of the field will face some adjustments in the desert. NASCAR has introduced a new short-track aerodynamic package for road courses and tracks of a mile or less, aimed at enhancing competition and passing opportunities.
Teams had the chance to test the new package at Phoenix Raceway in December, and now the entire field gets their first experience with it this weekend.
“I would say that it was probably a little bit better in traffic,” said Denny Hamlin, who will start on the pole in Sunday’s race. “Very small from what I could tell. Nothing earth-shattering,” he said. “If you got caught behind somebody, you would get caught behind someone, but that is typical of what we’ve had before.”
The last race at Phoenix saw a tense battle for the title among Larson, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Christopher Bell. While Larson finished third, it was Blaney who clinched his first NASCAR championship. Larson, however, returns to Phoenix after a dominant performance in Las Vegas, aiming to replicate his success on familiar turf.
With 12 top-10 finishes in 19 starts at Phoenix and a previous championship win at the track in 2021, Larson remains a formidable contender. Despite qualifying 17th for Sunday’s race, Larson’s confidence is high as he looks to continue his winning streak.
Meanwhile, Blaney, coming off his championship victory at Phoenix in the fall, is eager to secure his first checkered flag at the tri-oval after a string of close finishes.
“It’s a place that’s been good to us, our whole group, really, for a long time, and especially the last two or three years,” Blaney said. “I’ve had a few seconds there in a row, so hopefully we can figure out how to get one spot better.”
