NASCAR: Larson seeks first win at Pocono

Yahoo

5 days ago

LONG POND — It is hard to believe that for all the success Kyle Larson has had in his NASCAR Cup Series career, he has not yet won at Pocono Raceway.
In 13 seasons and 382 races, Larson has 22 poles, 32 victories, 128 top-five and 193 top-10 finishes. He won the 2021 championship and was runner-up in 2023.
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Yet in 17 starts at the 2.5-mile triangular track, he has two poles, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Twice he placed second: June 2018 and the second June 2021 race. His nine top-10 finishes are the most by a driver at the track without a win.
'We haven't won here yet, which is disappointing,' Larson said. 'The NextGen Era, we've been decent, but not amazing. Hopefully, this year we can be better. I like this track, I enjoy the uniqueness of it. Hopefully, we can have some good speed.'
Larson tried to change that Sunday in the Great American Getaway 400 Presented by visitpa.com. He started 24th after qualifying at 169.920 mph Saturday.
A sellout crowd was on hand for a third consecutive year. However, morning thunderstorms passing through the area caused the scheduled 2:20 p.m. start to be delayed.
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Perhaps Larson's best chance at a Pocono victory came in the first June 2021 race. He won the three previous races at Charlotte, Sonoma and Nashville and was going for four in a row. He was half a lap away from making that happen when his left-front tire went flat. Alex Bowman passed him to take the checkered flag, while Larson limped home ninth.
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Kyle Larson drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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Kyle Larson walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Kyle Larson celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
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Kyle Larson drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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He said it is not something he dwells on whenever he returns here.
'I forget about it until I see the highlight,' Larson said. 'But it's not something that you think about. Seeing it makes you wish, 'Dang, I wish I had not got that flat and got the win here finally.' But it's just racing.'
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Through 16 races this season, Larson has one pole (Kansas) and three wins — Homestead, Bristol, Kansas — along with nine top fives and 11 top 10s. He is second in the standings with 537 points, 67 behind leader William Byron.
However, he also has four finishes of 32nd or worse, including a 36th place last week at Mexico City.
'I feel like we've had a couple rougher finishes not of our doing,' Larson said. 'But aside from that, I feel like we've been pretty consistent — maybe more consistent than we've been in the past. I've been pleased with our team. Hopefully, we can keep evolving and keep getting our cars better and be ready for the playoffs when that time of year comes.'
The three wins have Larson firmly entrenched in the playoffs over the season's final 10 races. However, he said he and his team aren't planning to do anything crazy in the races leading up to the playoffs.
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'You're trying to make your car better every week for every race,' Larson said. 'I don't think we're the type of team that goes trying off-the-wall stuff to just think about the playoffs. Like, we're running a different setup here than we did last year and that's just to be better at Pocono than we were last year. Hopefully, that can carry over to other race tracks.'
Kurt Busch honored
Pocono Raceway honored former driver Kurt Busch by having him serve as the Grand Marshal for Sunday's Great American Getaway 400.
Busch gave the command for drivers to start their engines. Also, at the start-finish line, Pocono painted 'TY Kurt.'
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During his 23-year Cup Series career, covering 776 races, Busch had 28 poles, 34 wins, 161 top-five and 339 top-10 finishes and was the 2004 champion. He also won five Xfinity Series and four Craftsman Truck Series races.
Three of Busch's Cup Series victories came at Pocono: July 2005, August 2007 and June 2016. His win in August 2007 was particularly dominant, as he led 175 of 200 laps. He also has two poles, 14 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 41 starts at the track.
Unfortunately, it was at Pocono in 2022 that Busch suffered a concussion in a practice crash that ended his career.
In May, it was announced that the 46-year old from Las Vegas was part of the 2026 Hall of Fame Class, along with Harry Gant and Ray Hendrick, which will be inducted in January in Charlotte, North Carolina.