After last Sunday’s race in New Hampshire, Kyle Larson pulled level with his teammate Chase Elliott atop the Cup Series driver standings table. He finished fourth in the rain-dampened race while Elliott came in 18th place. With eight more races left in the regular season, the numbers paint a vivid picture of how they got here and what needs to happen for one of them to be the regular season champion.
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Every victory in the regular season provides a driver with 5 playoff points. Winning the regular season championship gives 15. So, needless to say, this is a huge boost for any driver with title aspirations. Interestingly, the regular season champion has been a part of the Championship 4 five times since 2017 and won the title three times.
Coming back to Larson and Elliott, they both each have 620 points after 18 races this year. Larson has secured three victories, four pole positions, eight top-5s, and nine top-10s. He also has eight stage wins. The one area that he failed to score was consistency. The 2021 champion had momentary dips over the season that saw him finish outside the top 30.
Elliott, on the other hand, has been the ambassador for consistency through 2024. He is yet to finish outside the top 20 in any race and has secured one victory, seven top-5s, nine top-10s, and one stage win.
While his numbers outright do not match Larson’s, he has put the spotlight on the forgotten art of consistency and proven that it can still get a driver places without stacking up victories.
Where do Larson and Elliott go from here in the fight for the regular season championship?
Larson will need to fix his troubles with those momentary dips if he wants to make sure that he edges his teammate out. The next few stops on the calendar present him with golden opportunities to secure more victories. Nashville, Richmond, and Darlington are all tracks where he has previously won. If he can avoid major blunders over the next eight races, he could be the regular season champion.
Man totally blind sided by this news! Wishing @chaseelliott the best on his new adventure at @JoeGibbsRacing. Have enjoyed you as a teammate! Good Luck #d19 https://t.co/MLNUG7Qyim
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) June 21, 2024
Elliott just needs to keep what he has been doing all season. It is not a certainty that changing tactics would bring about better results. Obtaining more stage points is a goal that the 2020 champion can have.
Larson’s eight stage wins have given him not only a playoff point each but also regular season points. Elliott and his team will be geared up this Sunday to fuel their title challenge further.
