Kyle Larson sitting at the top of the 2024 Cup Series points table despite missing out on a race reflects the sheer dominance he holds over his counterparts. The Hendrick Motorsports star has been one of the most exemplary handlers of the NextGen car since its introduction in 2022. His accomplishments in advanced machinery are many and among them are his qualifying records.
Advertisement
Larson has standing records for NextGen qualifying speed in six race tracks across the country. This is the most for any driver in the Cup Series. He recorded a speed of 190.557 mph in Texas earlier this year, posted 183.299 mph in Kansas, and 136.458 mph in Iowa. The other venues where he holds the record are Sonoma (97.771 mph), Martinsville (96.411 mph), and Chicago (90.496 mph).
For comparison, here are the NextGen qualifying track records for the same 26 NASCAR Cup Series tracks
For tracks with a direct comparison, the NextGen car is on average 8.43 mph slower. https://t.co/iQ7Sk0hSDP pic.twitter.com/fP9AyLOOeN
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) July 28, 2024
By comparison, Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell is next to Larson for most qualifying records and he has achieved top speed only on three tracks. This points out how far other teams are behind the raw speed that the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro team manages to generate. But a blind pace can only get you so far. Larson has had some costly misses despite having the best chances of success.
His feud with Denny Hamlin in 2023 cost him not one race win but two, in Kansas and Pocono. He got into the safety pit barriers at Homestead-Miami later that year trying to beat Ryan Blaney into the pit road. He had one of the fastest cars at Watkins Glen as well and looked poised to win until he didn’t. He was penalized for overspeeding on the pit road.
Scenarios of misfortune like these are many for him. This results in him becoming an example to prove that raw speed isn’t all that racing is. Veteran driver Kevin Harvick touched upon this on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast. Discussing the performances of Larson and William Byron in the NextGen car, he made a case for why the former wasn’t the most efficient driver due to the number of DNFs he has.
He said, “He [Byron] has a good pitstop or puts himself in a position to win by keeping himself in the mix. Running all those laps and not having as many DNFs. And so, in NASCAR racing it’s not all about being fast.” Larson has had 18 DNFs since the 2022 season. Even his chances of being the regular-season champion in 2024 are under threat due to his inconsistency.
