Kyle Larson’s Drafting Troubles Stand Out as Hendrick Motorsports Poised

Hendrick Motorsports drivers started the 2024 season with a bang at the Daytona 500. William Byron drove the No. 24 to Victory Lane while his teammate Alex Bowman finished second place. Kyle Larson finished the Daytona race with an 11th-place finish. Yet, Larson has his troubles on the racetrack.

Larson is the only one among Cup Series drivers who has led the most laps (423) at Atlanta Motor Speedway without a victory. He has two runner-up finishes at “The Peach State” venue in 2017 and 2021. The Ambetter Health 400 race is fast approaching, with Hendrick drivers ranking at the top of betting odds. Will Larson catch up with his teammates’ winning streak?

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Larson is not particularly an expert in drafting, as Matherne pointed out. “That’s kind of been a weakness in his package..he’s really tightened up the past couple of years.” He didn’t fare well in Atlanta the last season. In 2023, he barely made it beyond the last place in two races. After starting out 8th, he finished a dismal 36th place in July, and similarly finished 31st in June.

Kyle Larson also has trouble in clutch situations. After leading the race for the most part, his luck comes crashing down when anyone is running him down or late race yellow flags are shown. For instance, in the 2023 Pocono race, Larson got outsmarted by Denny Hamlin and slammed into the wall after a late-race restart.

Matherne underlined the solid chances of Larson’s team snatching the checkered flag, though. “Betway has Hendrick Motorsports to win the race at plus