'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAXn//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAECEAAAAEf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAB//xAAfEAEAAgEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAADAgUBAAQRByJCgsL/2gAIAQEAAT8ALrhWWQHWgNgG8SGEPJAXj3fGgurHcgbxu0hFY4niMglzHn31/8QAGREBAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIEABFx/9oACAECAQE/AKJG0pI1zP/EABgRAAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAAR/9oACAEDAQE/AKWacAqe7//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson will be looking to add another win to his tally in the 2022 season. Larson, who absolutely dominated the field last year where he won ten races and went on to take home the championship, has not had the best follow-up to last season.
Last year's M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway bought heartbreak for the 29-year-old driver as he fought his teammate Alex Bowman during the final laps of the race. After managing to retake the lead, a tire failure sent the Elk Grove, California native into the wall, who ultimately finished in P9.
Kyle Larson also claimed the ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) award for Best Driver this week, which should give him a confidence boost going into the 400-mile-long race on Sunday.
Cliff Daniels, Larson's suspended crew chief, will also be seen on the pit road this weekend after a four-week suspension due to a loose wheel on the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 a month ago. Daniels looked back on the near win for the #5 crew at Pocono Raceway last year where he thought the car was performing well in both attack and defense situations, and said:
“We had to play whatever cards we had, and that was to be a car that made it to the end and we ended up with a second-place finish. I’m pretty sure it was after that day I told the team that during the 2018 and 2019 NFL season, the Patriots beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game 37–31, it was a totally offensive game. The Patriots then won the Super Bowl that year 13 to 3, a totally defensive game.’’
He added:
“The No. 5 team had been on offense with three second places in a row followed by four wins, almost five. It looked like all offense. But that Sunday, all we could do was play defense and we did and finished second. That’s when I figured we were good on both sides of the coin.”
Kyle Larson's thoughts going into M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway
Kyle Larson is looking forward to racing at 'The Tricky Triangle' this weekend as he feels that the 2.5-mile-long track is one of his stronger tracks. Larson said:
“I always enjoy going to Pocono (Raceway) – it’s a track that for some reason suits my driving style. I’ve had some good runs there and was close to winning there last year, so I’m excited to go back. It should be interesting in the Next Gen car.”
Watch Kyle Larson take on the 400 miles of M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on USA Network.
