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Kyle Larson will lead the field to the green flag in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway this Sunday, March 31. Despite setting the quickest times in both practice and the qualifying session, Larson is cautiously optimistic about his chances of winning the race.
The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver, who won the previous edition of the race, returns to the track aiming to earn his second win of the 2024 season. Ahead of the weekend, Larson conceded that he never arrives at Richmond expecting a race win.
Despite starting on pole position, Kyle Larson downplayed his chances of winning the race. Even though the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion believes that he has a car capable of winning, he emphasized that good execution of strategy and pit stops will be crucial.
Larson said after the qualifying session (via thepodiumfinish.net):
"Well it helps the confidence, for sure. So yeah, I mean, practice went well and qualifying went good. I’m not expecting to win, but I think we have a No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy capable of contending. We have a pit stall to go along with it now, which helps. Just need to execute a good race and see where the results end up."
NASCAR implemented the new short track package for the third time this year at the 0.75-mile oval in Richmond. Kyle Larson disclosed that he had forgotten he was driving with the new package during the practice session, as he barely felt any difference.
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers dominated the previous short track race at Phoenix Raceway, with Christopher Bell securing the victory. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson and the Hendrick Motorsports drivers struggled with the new package.
This weekend, however, HMS duo Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have locked out the front row, with Alex Bowman starting on the second. Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the highest-starting JGR drivers, lining up in the fourth row.
The Toyota Owners 400 is scheduled on March 31, with the green flag set to drop at 7:15 PM ET.
Kyle Larson elaborates on choosing a different setup for Richmond
The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver had mixed results in his two outings at the 0.75-mile oval last year. After winning the Spring race, he could only manage a 19th-placed result in the Fall race.
Kyle Larson elaborated that his team has opted for a different setup direction following their struggles in the Fall race. He said before the qualifying session (via Speedwaydigest.com):
"It’s a tough place for me, so I don’t ever really come here with the highest of expectations.. more so just because of me. Talking to my team and stuff – we won the spring race, but we were really bad in the fall race. So I think we’ve come here with a much different approach for car setup."
The setup changes seemed to have paid off as Larson set the quickest times in the practice and the qualifying session, with a top-five 10-lap average speed.
