Kyle Larson brings momentum into Phoenix Raceway as NASCAR returns

NKP #5: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro

Kyle Larson won his 24th career NASCAR Cup Series Race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after holding off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick late in Sunday’s race. He joins Chevrolet teammates William Byron and Daniel Suarez as the three drivers to lock themselves into playoff contention with wins on the 2024 regular season. Larson will look to make it two in a row this weekend in the Shriner’s Children’s 500 at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 10, at Phoenix Raceway.

LINK TO PENNZOIL 400 HIGHLIGHTS (FOX)

LINK TO KYLE LARSON POST-RACE INTERVIEW (FOX)

“I knew Tyler was going to be the guy to beat from the first stage,” said Larson. “Thankfully, (I) was able to air block him a couple laps and get him tight… But all in all, such a great job by this Hendrick Cars Chevy team and just their execution, pit road, restarts — all that was great…Can’t ask for much more.”

Larson now heads into Phoenix atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings as he looks to build off the success he found last year at the 1-mile dog-legged oval. He earned two top-five finishes and led 201 laps during last year’s spring race in the Valley before a late-race restart foiled his shot at a win. Hoping to close out the finish this time around, the driver of the No. 5 car will be carrying a ton of confidence heading to the track where he secured his 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

“Yeah, Kyle did a really good job there of pretty much taking away every option I had to close the gap,” said Reddick after a runner-up finish on Sunday. “It’s frustrating. I feel like we were never up front really all day long until it got to the stage end. “

Reddick overcame issues on pit road and several wild restarts to be the only car capable of challenging Larson for the lead. As he looks toward this weekend at Phoenix, Reddick looks to earn another top-five finish as he did in last year’s spring race and continue to make up for two disappointing 29th and 30th place finishes at Daytona and Atlanta, respectively.

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney came home third and returns to a track where he last left with the coveted Bill France Cup and a NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Blaney has also never finished outside of the top-five at Phoenix in the Next-Gen era and looks to continue that streak into Sunday. Ross Chastain ended with a fourth-place result and comes back to Phoenix as the reigning winner of the fall race last November. In four races at Phoenix Raceway since joining Trackhouse Racing, Chastain has brought home one win and three top-fives. Both have momentum heading into this weekend and will each look to earn their first wins of 2024.

The Shriners Children’s 500 weekend begins on Friday, March 8, with the ARCA Menards Series’ General Tire 150 at 6 p.m. MST. Then, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will take the track at 2:30 p.m. MST for the Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 on Saturday, March 9. The stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will close out the tripleheader weekend with the Shiner’s Childrens 500 at 12:30 p.m. MST on Sunday, March 10.

All three of NASCAR’s national series will then return in November to end their seasons and crown their respective champions. The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race will first hit the track at 6 p.m. MST on Friday, Nov. 8, followed the NASCAR XFINITY Series Championship Race at 4 p.m. MST on Saturday, Nov. 9.  Then, the 2024 season comes to a close with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at 1 p.m. MST on Sunday, Nov. 10, as four drivers will vie for the highly coveted Bill France Cup.

Fans can secure their seats and experiences now by visiting www.PhoenixRaceway.com while supplies last.

NASCAR PR

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