Kyle Larson Believes NASCAR’s Phoenix Showdown Will Reveal Where Hendrick Motorsports Really Stacks Up

In the opening three races of the NASCAR Cup Series season, Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing have displayed serious pace, leaving the rest of the field to play catch-up. As they head to Phoenix Raceway this weekend, Reddick, with 186 points, sits on top of the driver’s points table, followed by teammate Bubba Wallace (116) in P2.

In the Hendrick Motorsports camp, only Chase Elliott has managed to stay in the top-10 so far, holding third place with 114 points. At this point last season, and even in 2024, the team had already won at least one race.

Apart from Elliott, the rest of the lineup has struggled to land inside the top 10. Kyle Larson recorded his first top-10 finish of the year at COTA and sits 15th in the standings. William Byron, who opened last year by winning the Daytona 500, has yet to post a single top-10 finish. The hole runs even deeper for Alex Bowman.

After finishing 40th at Daytona, 23rd at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and 36th at COTA, Bowman sits 36th in the standings with only 23 points. As the season moves toward the West Coast, Larson believes the stop in the Arizona desert this Sunday will reveal where the team stands.

“I’m excited to get to this style of track this time of year. It’s where you kind of learn where you’re at as an organization, speed-wise anyway, relative to the rest of the field,” said Larson.

“I’m even more excited this year because we have the new body style. I think everything we’ve learned about it to this point has been positive and definitely an upgrade, which it should be,” added the No. 5 Chevrolet driver.

HMS drivers’ record at Phoenix offers optimism. Larson has 11 top-five finishes and 15 top-10 results at the upcoming track. Last year, he finished inside the top five in both Phoenix races, taking third place each time.

Elliott also has a good chance going this Sunday, going by his past results. The No. 9 driver has logged three top-10 results at the venue in his last three visits, and holds an overall average finish of 12.6 since 2023.

Phoenix has also produced results for Byron as well. He has one Cup Series win in 2023, along with two poles, three top-five finishes, and nine top-10 results since 2018.

Bowman, however, will not take the green flag on Sunday at Phoenix. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has been sidelined for now after being diagnosed with Vertigo earlier this week. Anthony Alfredo will drive his car this weekend.

It remains to be seen if Larson’s words come true and he, along with his teammates, discovers their true pace ahead of the long 2026 season this weekend.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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