Kyle Larson Has Massive Upper Hand Over the Field, but NASCAR Insider Sounds Note of Caution

The win at Las Vegas meant Kyle Larson booked his place in the championship finale at Phoenix on Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who won the 2021 Cup Series title in his only previous appearance in the final, is seen by many as the favorite heading into the race. And according to NASCAR analyst Steve Letarte, with good reason.

Appearing on NASCAR’s Inside the Race, the former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief believes Kyle Larson has that one big advantage heading into the all-important race.

“They’re the fastest. They’ve been the fastest all year long. They have ‘only’ won four races this season, and I could say only because they’ve been the fastest car in 10, 11, 12 of the races.”

Letarte did sound a note of caution though, expressing concern about the ‘checkers or wreckers’ mentality of Larson. In other words, he noted that there have been at least 7-8 races where the #5 driver was the clear favorite with the fastest car, yet managed to crash out or got involved in an incident that ruined his finish.

Having said that, it is Larson’s raw speed that could be unsettling for the other drivers, and something the HMS driver could bank on to get a psychological advantage.

“I truly believe that he will make the other drivers uncomfortable with his raw speed. We’re gonna see it in practice, we’re gonna see it in qualifying… you look there and the guy you have to beat is fast, fast, fast, fast, that does wear down on you,” the analyst added.

Kyle Larson has another advantage that could be huge at Phoenix

Apart from speed and talent, something Kyle Larson has in abundance, the former crew chief also pointed toward another thing that tilts the balance in his favor – pit crew.

“The other thing I have for him is that he has a good pit crew with firepower. I don’t think they make a lot of mistakes and they have game-changing ability. That’s how he won Vegas, that is a big contributor to the championship he won last time,” concluded Letarte.

The fact that Larson still has that same crew from his championship-winning year is indeed a big boost for Yung Money, considering Phoenix is a track known for deciding races by the barest of margins.