CORONADO, Calif. — Don’t ever rely out Kyle Larson.
A 3rd-place end Sunday at Naval Base Coronado has the defending NASCAR Cup Sequence champion again inside the highest 5 within the Cup Sequence factors standings for the primary time since Might. And with a factors reset lurking for The Chase in September, all he wants is an opportunity.
Commercial
MORE: |
Larson nonetheless trails collection chief Tyler Reddick by 180 factors with 9 races remaining in NASCAR’s common season, all within the midst of a 41-race winless streak that dates again to Might 2025. However after main laps in every of the final 5 races and accumulating 4 top-five finishes in that span, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is lurking, with hopes to pounce on Toyota’s success quickly, as Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing have gained 11 of 17 races in 2026 — together with every of the final 4.
“We’re positively discovering momentum, and our race vehicles are getting higher,” Larson informed NASCAR.com following Sunday’s race throughout the San Diego Bay. “It’s giving me extra confidence, all the nice issues that you just want. Simply received to maintain it going, ? I really feel like we’re nonetheless a bit off of being the most effective and wins changing into simpler, but when we maintain swinging, we’ll ultimately get one, and hopefully with that, get extra factors and get a bit bit additional up.”
Regardless of a mid-spring swing that resulted in 4 finishes of twenty third or worse in a five-race span, crew chief Cliff Daniels believes his group by no means misplaced its momentum. That perspective is rooted within the No. 5 group’s resilience late in 2025, when Larson and Co. rallied with out wins to win the championship within the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. That mindset paid dividends because the group entered 2026 with a brand new Chevrolet physique to optimize.
Commercial
“By the tip of 2025, we had already seen the [surge] of the Toyotas, and we weren’t the higher echelon of pace,” Daniels informed NASCAR.com. “And I feel that carried over into the early a part of this 12 months. On the identical time, us simply getting our arms wrapped across the physique that I nonetheless suppose is nice and advantageous, and we in all probability have had some overreaction to at occasions. So now we’re getting settled in on that. Our group has been very locked into our course of this entire time. We’ve had some new guys come onto our group this 12 months, and simply making an attempt to get all people in control and locked in.
“Everyone’s actually working properly collectively. And at this level of the season, that’s once you wish to be placing these prime fives on the board, understanding that your group course of is getting clean, and all people’s simply chipping away. So we’re going to remain on that path, and we’ll see what lies forward.”
Kyle Larson drives previous the USS Carl Vinson at Naval Base Coronado in a NASCAR Cup Sequence occasion.
Larson led 11 of 75 laps across the San Diego avenue course Sunday and posted the day’s prime common working place at 6.45, incomes the fourth-most factors of the race within the course of. For a second, victory was not simply again on Larson’s thoughts however in his sights.
Commercial
“It was an excellent day for us. Thought I had an excellent shot to win there,” Larson mentioned. “Then the warning got here out, and I nonetheless felt I received an excellent shot, however then the 23XI vehicles have been simply so quick there, so yeah, that was powerful. However yeah, I imply, an excellent clear day for us on a difficult observe. I’ll take it. One other prime 5 and an excellent factors day. We want these, and simply pleased to maneuver on.”
Each Larson and Daniels lauded the milestone marquee race, NASCAR’s first on an lively United States army base.
“It was superior. I hope all people loved the race right this moment,” Larson mentioned as he approached the Cup storage — seemingly swallowed by the plenty directly. “It was only a nice ambiance all weekend lengthy, even from Friday. Friday, I feel, it seemed like, was simply open to the Navy base. However yeah, as you’ll be able to see, the gang’s loopy.”
From course design to occasion execution to the sacred floor at which NASCAR raced, Daniels heaped reward on all who coordinated Sunday’s motorsport achievement.
Commercial
“Big kudos to NASCAR, to the Navy, for everyone placing on this type of occasion,” Daniels mentioned. “We completely have to deal with our die-hard race followers with the North Wilkesboros and the Martinsvilles. We want to verify we deal with all of our core fan base, however then on the identical time, what we will showcase of our sport right here, I feel, may be very particular. I feel it’s actually essential, and I feel all people made only for an excellent occasion right here this weekend — the power, the observe, simply the welcoming. All the pieces that we had right here was very well performed. So plenty of gratitude to our sport and to the Navy for making all that occur.”
