Didn’t take long for 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsport’s driver, Kyle Larson, to get back to Victory Lane since he won the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway last November – two races to be exact. The 29-year-old from Elk Grove, California capitalized late at Auto Club Speedway last Sunday to get his first win of the 2022 season, his second at the 2-mile track and the 17th of his series career. Now the series defending champ is headed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube this Sunday, March 6 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Larson’s win has him joining DAYTONA 500 victor Austin Cindric as the first two drivers to lock themselves into the Playoffs this season. A good step in his endeavor to become the first driver to win back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006-2010.
It was not lost on Larson what a quick start like this means for him. The defending winner of this weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was already thinking about the future in his post-race frontstretch interview at Auto Club Speedway.
“Definitely wild but cool to get a win here in California, and hopefully we get on a little streak,” said Larson.
Win streaks were a big part of Larsons 10-win season last year that led to his first series title. He became the fourth different driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three or more consecutive races multiple times in a single season; joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt (1987) and Richard Petty (1967, 1971) and David Pearson (1968).
Larson has made 11 series starts at Las Vegas posting one win (2021), four top fives and eight top 10s. He has also led 224 laps at the 1.5-mile track.
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