By the end of the month, Larson hopes to have made some
history.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion is trying to join Tony
Stewart as the only drivers ever to complete “the double,” finishing every lap
of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Several have tried
over the years, most recently Kurt Busch in 2014, but the task has proven to be
among the most grueling in all of motorsports.
“I mean, for sure I’m excited,” Larson said Saturday,
shortly before hopping into his No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports and qualifying
for the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. “I’m not like, overly anxious at
the same time. I think I’ve known it’s been coming for a couple of years now,
and just, you’ve got to be ready to get out there and get going.”
Larson also said he’s not thinking about Memorial Day
weekend quite yet.
There is a lot more racing to do first.
He was running his sprint car again Saturday night at nearby
Lakeside Speedway, then will try to improve on his finish Sunday from a year
ago at Kansas, where Denny Hamlin bumped him out of the way on the last lap to
snatch victory.
Larson also has NASCAR’s throwback weekend coming up at
Darlington, and another sprint car race at Kokomo Speedway in Indiana on May
13, the night before he steps into his Arrow McLaren ride to practice for the
Indy 500.
“It’s starting to set in what’s coming ahead,” Larson
admitted. “You’ve got to do rookie orientation for the first time and you get
there, and that was the first moment of like, ‘Holy (expletive), I’m actually
in an IndyCar right now.’ But I think since then, you know, I’m kind of just
more ready to finally get going.”
Larson already has a Cup Series win from Las Vegas in March,
and he has a series-leading five top-fives, including a second-place run at
Dover last weekend. He has led at least one lap in eight races and his 570 laps
led are 35 more than any other driver.
That consistency has helped Hendrick Motorsports join Joe
Gibbs Racing in dominating the Cup Series this season. Hendrick has five wins
and Hamlin gave Gibbs its fourth last week at Dover, and it’s hard to believe
the two power teams won’t be at the front again on Sunday; they are tied for
the most wins at the track with eight apiece.
Hamlin is certainly looking forward to another duel.
Especially if it goes the way the spring race did at Kansas
a year ago.
“It was a fierce battle,” he recalled. “We were the best two
guys. He got out to a lead there and I remember just chasing him down there
toward the end, when he was getting loose. But it’s so race to race. I can’t go
back. We have a different car, new tire coming into this race. There’s not much
I can put together other than how can I attack this track to get speed?”
CHARTER CHATTER
Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing along with Michael Jordan,
lamented the state of charter negotiations Saturday. Charters provide
guaranteed starting spots and other financial benefits to their owners, but are
due to expire after 2024. Owners want them to become permanent, so they can
more easily attract long-term sponsors and investors. They also want more
revenue, a bigger voice in NASCAR decisions and a share of new business
opportunities, such as gambling revenue.
“Why is this such an important thing?” Hamlin asked. “We’ve
had 11 teams go out of business since 2016. That’s not good. And certainly if
we continue on the trend of a couple stakeholders doing really well and others
not, that will continue.”
BACK IN THE SADDLE
Jimmie Johnson will be driving the No. 84 car for Legacy
Motor Club for the second straight week as part of his abbreviated Cup Series
schedule. The three-time Kansas winner finished 28th at the Daytona
500, 29th at Texas and 28th last week at Dover.
“This year has been more challenging for us in a lot more
ways that we anticipated,” Johnson admitted, “but I do think we’re getting
closer to a consistent pace that we hope to have week-in and week-out.”
FORD’S FOCUS
The season has so far been dominated by Chevrolet and
Toyota, leaving Ford still looking for its first Cup Series win. But its cars
were fast at Talladega, and Noah Gragson and Ryan Blaney finished sixth and
seventh last week at Dover.
“Right now our program, I feel — if we were an 18th-place
team last year, I think we’re closer to a 10th-place team,” said Gragson’s crew
chief, Drew Blickensderfer. “And 10th-place teams can win races.”
ODDS AND ENDS
Hamlin is the 9-2 favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Larson and William Byron are next at 5-1. ... Ricky Stenhouse Jr. signed a multiyear extension this week to continue driving the No. 47 for JTG Daugherty Racing. ... Corey Heim is driving the No. 43 again in place of Erik Jones, who was cleared to return by NASCAR, but is sitting out one more week as he recovers from a crash at Talladega. Jones sustained a compression fracture in his back in the wreck. AP
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