This Sunday, the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs race at Talladega Superspeedway was a mess for several postseason contenders but not Kyle Larson. That’s surprising considering superspeedways are the weakest part of his racing arsenal. Yung Money kept his composure and finished the Yellawood 500 in P4, equalling his best-ever finish at a superspeedway-style track.
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His previous P4 result came at the same track in 2022. The 2021 Cup Series champion had a stellar outing as he prepares to clinch the championship for the second time.
The recent result means the #5 Chevrolet driver is now third in points, more than 50 clear of the cutline heading into the Charlotte Roval next weekend.
Here's an updated look at the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoff standings following today's race at Talladega.
Next week, the playoff field will cut down to 8 drivers following the conclusion of the Charlotte ROVAL.#kylelarson #yungmoney #nascar pic.twitter.com/879vRJNP5G
— Larson Land (@LarsonLand) October 7, 2024
This gives him a decent points buffer going into the final race of the Round of 12, with Larson unexpectedly performing at one of his weakest links in NASCAR, albeit with the help of a lot of the competition being taken out by the biggest stock car racing crash in history.
“There’s a lot of luck that plays into just finishing these races. I’m not going to blame my whole superspeedway career on bad luck because I know that’s not the case when we finish as bad as we do, as often as we do, on these. I feel like we do a great job and today just showed that,” he said after the race.
After the Roval, the Cup Series will race at Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville, and Phoenix, tracks which play to the Elk Grove, California native’s strengths. It remains to be seen how far can he carry his championship challenge this year.
Yung Money taking it easy ahead of the Roval outing
Had the Hendrick Motorsports star been caught up in the big wreck that unfolded towards the end of the race, he could have found himself in a pickle, especially headed in the Charlotte Roval, a venue Larson self admittedly does not like.
However, having a 52-point cushion heading into that race has set his mind at ease. For a lot of others though, that is not the case. Winning at road courses is never easy for any of the playoff drivers and there will be a certain Kiwi who will be extremely difficult to beat next weekend as well.
“It’s cool to finally go into the Charlotte Roval with a 52-point gap. That race is so stretch. It’s way more stressful to me than Talladega Superspeedway, so glad to not have to worry about it as much,” he explained.
The 2024 Bank of America Roval 400 goes live from the venue next Sunday, October 13, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET.
