Kyle Larson Will Not Forsake Selfish Ploy and Here’s the Reason Why

Helping out one’s teammate is not uncommon in NASCAR. With the ushering of next-gen cars in the arena of motorsports, it’s practically impossible to win a race on an oval all alone. Every single car is almost identical to the others in terms of components and specifications. Needless to say, overkill is just not an option. Hence, a light aero boost here and there from a teammate goes a long way.

But that doesn’t obliterate the competitive aspect of NASCAR. When 40 cars throttle at full speed and run three or, at times, even four wide along the asphalt-shrouded ovals, the chances to help another teammate narrow down altogether. To top it all off, the eight drivers now approach the penultimate race of the season and winning is the need of the hour. It just goes without saying that nobody will spare even an inch for his teammates. Not even the Hendrick Motorsports icon, Kyle Larson.

When Kyle Larson won the opening race of the round of 8, the number 5 team, along with crew chief Cliff Daniels, was happy beyond limits. And that too, for good reason. The 31-year-old could have then pinpointed all his attention at Phoenix Raceway. He could have taken the remaining two races of the round easily and devoted all his time to the simulation work for Phoenix Raceway. But Kyle Larson is something else.

For an ardent competitor like Kyle Larson, sitting back and relaxing is not an option. He already has a Cup Series title to his name, and he doesn’t seem to leave any stone unturned to unravel his chances of bagging another. And perhaps, at all costs, Even if it was at the expense of his own teammate.

As of now, William Byron is out of the bubble and 30 points ahead of the cutline. This means that unless the number 24 driver has any major issues with his Chevy next week, he could put up tough competition for the 3rd spot in the Championship 4 race. And that would leave Blaney, Hamlin, Truex, and Tyler Reddick below the cutline. Anything after that will be solely decided on points.

But what if Kyle Larson wins again like he did in last fall’s race? It’ll all come down to a points battle. And Byron will face a tough two-fold competition from the Joe Gibbs Racing duo, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. Let’s not forget that Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney are also on William Byron’s ‘to-look-out-for’ list