Kyle Larson on what makes it 'so difficult ' to race at NASCAR Richmond

2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and the #5 HendrickCars.com team will dress in their white suits as they turn laps at Richmond Raceway this weekend. Larson will arrive at the 3/4-mile track with a clean seventh spot from Michigan and his main goal is to secure another checkered flag.

Heading to Richmond for the second time, the #5 driver is 23 points behind Ryan Blaney. Blaney is currently second in the drivers’ standings who still has an unsecured spot in the playoffs courtesy of his no wins so far.

This being the second time Kyle Larson is visiting the track with the Next Gen car, he noticed something last time that made it difficult to race in. Speaking to the media earlier this week, he stated that the track has a slow pace and passing becomes very difficult. Additionally, Larson also noted that the rate at which the Next Gen car’s tires are coming off makes it even more difficult.

Claiming that getting a good starting position and taking care of the rear tires will be a good strategy to dominate this race, Larson said:

“What makes Richmond (Raceway) so difficult is the slow pace and the tires fall off quite a bit with the Next Gen car. It was difficult to pass earlier this year. Qualifying will be important and just taking care of your rear tires on a long run will be key.”

Larson is on the safe side at the moment as he has already booked his space in the playoffs, sitting fifth in the drivers’ standings with 705 points. The tables, however, have turned this season, as last year, he was the top driver in both points and wins, bringing 10 wins to his record. This time around, his teammate Chase Elliott is sitting in that position leading in points as well as wins.

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Kyle Larson has had successful races at Richmond Raceway

In his first race with the Next Gen car in April this year, Kyle Larson and his two Hendrick Motorsports teammates finished inside the top 10 for the first time since 2015. He was 21st at the time in his starting position and worked his way up to the P5 finish.

Although Larson thinks it’s difficult to race at Richmond, this is one of the tracks he has had successful races on. In 15 starts as a Cup driver, he has managed to collect one win and three top five finishes, including the April race earlier this year. In addition, he has scored seven top 10 finishes on the track.

His only win at Richmond came in September 2017 driving the #42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing. During the event, Larson edged Martin Truex Jr. in overtime after leading 53 laps.

With an epic performance during the April event at Richmond, Larson will be looking forward to getting a good starting position, which he missed out on last time. After that, he’ll work to earn his second win on the track.