Heading into the 2024 Cup Series Round of 8, Kyle Larson sits atop the playoff table with a 33-point advantage. The last four races of the season are at tracks where he has been successful in the past. When added to the exemplary momentum that he has gained by winning in Charlotte, it is easy to see why he is the favorite to win the title. But the journey won’t be an easy one.
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A bad run in the upcoming round can still eliminate the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team despite the significant advantage it has. Larson has won more races than any other driver this year, but that doesn’t guarantee him the championship. This is why his crew chief Cliff Daniels believes that they are their own biggest challenger.
He said in a recent media interaction, “I think our No. 1 competitor is ourselves. I think if we do the things that we need to do, our team can execute. Kyle has been, done an amazing job, the pit crew, and everybody in the shop. Yes, to your point that the competition is going to be there. I think our mission is going to be probably to be as tunnel-visioned as humanly possible to stay on our path and execute the things that we need to.”
NASCAR is a team sport and Larson won’t be the only one responsible for winning or losing races. A bad pit stop can ruin a driver’s day no matter how good he is racing. It’s no wonder that Daniels is focused on execution across all aspects. That’s exactly what a championship-winning team mentality is all about.
Larson names his biggest title rivals this season
Larson has complete faith in his crew. Why wouldn’t he? They have not let him down this season. His main concerns are the drivers he has to go up against to become champion. A couple of them are Denny Hamlin and his teammate William Byron. Both have won three races this year and accompany him in the Round of 8.
“I mean, I still view Denny as probably being the guy that has the speed that we do,” he said in the Roval. “He’s just had a run of some crappy luck really for a while. I don’t know how his race played out today. I think the Gibbs cars are just a little off, besides Bell. Especially I think when you look at the next four tracks, Denny could win at any of them. Then I think William too. He’s sneaky good.”
The 2021 Cup Series champion also mentioned Ryan Blaney as a potential title winner. However, he will be backing himself to do better than these drivers. Given the form he is in currently, it would not come as a surprise to anyone. The end of the season sure is shaping up to be one hell of a battle.
