HMS' Kyle Larson discusses role of his mouthpiece data in Watkins Glen changes

In a recent interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson provided some insight on the recent changes to Watkins Glen International ahead of Sunday's race. The driver of the #5 Chevrolet feels the changes to the track's bus stop turn have been for the better.

In the video interview that Pockrass posted on X, the 27-time race winner expressed that he wasn't the only driver responsible for the changes, but rather it was a collaborative effort among several drivers.

"I don't know if I was the sole guy to spark a change. ... It sounded like there was a lot of guys that had reached out after it saying their heads hurt. I think it was a collaborative effort probably amongst all the drivers. Thankfully, NASCAR was receptive to it," he said.

The California native called on NASCAR to modify the 2.45-mile road course bus stop back in April in an X response to Xfinity Series driver and NBC pit reporter Park Kligerman, who had questioned the track's changes.

Larson's response was his mouthpiece data from last year's race. He wrote,

"Something needed to be done. What was there before was not safe for the brain. Hopefully this is better."

Pockrass inquired about the severity of the four-time winner's head pain after driving through the rough bus stop. Here's how Larson responded:

"You're feeling it after practice and qualifying. You're just annoyed and your head hurts and I don't know, you just don't feel crisp and clear and you don't wreck either. That's pretty eye-opening I felt like to have the feeling you have. It wasn't just last year, it was the year before too."

Larson was pleased with the mouthpiece data generated, as he feared that if it didn't produce the desired results, the bus stop changes might not have been implemented, as he said,

"I was hoping it was going to look how it did. Because if not, it was like, dang, how do we fix this internally inside the car, in my helmet and headrest and all that? Thankfully, the results showed that, yeah, there's a lot of moments over there and it's an area of the track where they were able to change the curbing and stuff. It seems smoother watching."

From what he's seen this weekend ahead of Sunday's 90-lap Go Bowling at The Glen, the changes to the bus stop have been for the better.

"It looks a lot smoother, looks faster probably getting into it. Interested to get out there and see how it changes the driving style."

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Larson aims to rebound after a tough Atlanta result

Running in third place with less than 10 laps remaining in stage one, Kyle Larson crashed between turns 1 and 2 during last week's playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway and finished 37th. Heading into Sunday's race, the two-time winner at Watkins Glen is 15 points above the cut-line to advance to the Round of 12.

Larson has tallied the most wins of any driver this season with four. His first win came in the third race of the campaign at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Win #2 was earned at Kansas Speedway by 0.001 seconds over second-place Chris Buescher, which stands as the closest finish in NASCAR history. Larson went on to win at Sonoma in June, securing his third victory of the season. Most recently, he triumphed at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in July, earning his fourth win.