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Kyle Larson sat ready to grab the streak of unique winners in the NASCAR Cup Series this season on Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. His number 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had led a large part of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and his second victory in a period of three weeks seemed in sight.
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Larson’s dominant day unfolded in the final laps when Ryan Blaney passed him to lead the final nine laps on Georgia’s 1.54-mile track, bringing the count of 2,021 winners to half a dozen. Larson had to settle for his third place in the top five in the last four races of the Cup Series, a result that left him disappointed, but still trying to see the bright side in his first year with the fifth group.
“I don’t know, I think he improved a lot in that last stage and it kind of changed my flow a little bit in the race,” said Larson, who led the 269 laps with the best performance in the race. “I could go out with such a big lead and then I could take care of my material and run in the groove, where it might be slower, but I could take care of my tires. He was fast there, and I just wanted to keep the distance I had, so I had to run on the fastest part of the track and just use my stuff. And then, he was much better than me at the end of the race. I hate to lead many laps and lose, but we had a very good car that we brought to the track. “
Larson swept through both stages and, although he lost the lead to Blaney in a pit-stop exchange at the start of Stage 3, he quickly regained first place and rebuilt his margin on the rest of the field.
That reign started to wear out when Blaney approached. Larson complained about his team’s communications that Joey Logano, Blaney’s teammate with Team Penske, had initially held him up during Blaney’s final chase. Crew Chief No. 5, Cliff Daniels, tried to encourage Larson’s confidence by saying he could pass it back, but the 28-year-old failed to mount another challenge and finished 2,083 seconds ago on the checkered flag.
“I mean, it’s hard to say. I definitely would have had a better chance if I got through to Logano when I got to him, ”said Larson. “But, yes, I mean, it was just difficult. My tires had almost run out by then. I was sliding. I just couldn’t get through the traffic well in the end. “
Larson’s most recent start in Atlanta – February 2019 – also ended with a headache. He led the biggest race of 142 laps, but finished 12th after a penalty for speeding in the pits. Larson was also runner-up in 2017 in Atlanta, where he finished in the top ten, but did not win.
Still, Larson consoled himself with the team’s speed and performance, expressing hope that more victories – such as his victory on March 7 in Las Vegas – will follow.
“Yes, I mean, I would have loved to win today to really gain momentum. But, yes, I mean, we had the fastest car most weekends, ”said Larson. “If we can continue to evolve and improve, yes, I mean, we can do great things. Our boxing team has been very good. Our car has been going really fast. I feel that, for the most part, I have done a good job.
“With all that Cliff and all the guys making good decisions in the box, yes, we can definitely go out there and keep fighting. If we can fight as much as we can, yes, I mean, we can win a lot of races. “