“Zero on Phoenix, all Homestead”: Kyle Larson focused on Miami despite head-start ahead of NASCAR championship finale

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson quickly became the championship favorite after his victory in Sin City last weekend. Clinching victory in the first race of the Round of 8 during the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, the California native last achieved the feat back in 2021. It was the year where he bagged his first championship.

During the 2022 season playoffs, last season's champion Joey Logano also proved that winning the first Round of 8 race was the way to go for a successful bid.

The Team Penske driver put this down to the extra time the team and driver gained after punching their ticket into the final round, taking off heaps of pressure coming into the remaining races.

In a day and age where margins in NASCAR are minuscule and the time crew members have to run simulations to test out setup changes, this can prove crucial. Winner of the South Point 400 last Sunday, Kyle Larson however, went against the tide and elaborated on his point of view going into the second Round of 8 race.

Heading into the 4EVER 400 at Homestead-Miami this Sunday, the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver told speedwaymedia.com ahead of the event:

“For me, zero on Phoenix, all Homestead. I mean, obviously, your mind thinks about Phoenix a little bit. But I haven’t watched any film. I haven’t looked at any data or anything like that. I love this weekend. I love Homestead and just trying to watch as much video of this place as I could to get my mind ready to run the wall.”

With the team working in the background as Kyle Larson prepares to race on one of his favorite tracks, it remains to be seen who else can punch their Championship 4 ticket this weekend.

Kyle Larson looks back at his championship run at Phoenix in 2021

Looking back at a year that was dominated by the 31-year-old with an astounding 10 victories to his name, Kyle Larson recalled how he performed at Phoenix Raceway two years ago.

He elaborated on the importance of pit stall selection at the track and told speedwaymedia.com:

"Well, we started the weekend off by getting the pole. That was huge to get the number one pit stall. In the race, at different points, we had a good car. And then in other points, we weren’t. Not that we had the best car at the end of the race, but our pit crew did a really good job and that number one pit stall paid off."

Watch Kyle Larson race at one of his favorite tracks this weekend as the 4EVER 400 goes live on Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. ET.