JOLIET, Ill. — Give Kyle Larson a mile-and-a-half of asphalt, and he expects to win. It is just how he is wired. With NASCAR finally heading back to Chicagoland Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has plenty of reasons to feel good about his chances.
He knows this place. Chicagoland is a bumpy, D-shaped beast of an oval, and Larson has historically tamed it. In six Cup Series starts here, he has bagged four top-five finishes. His average finish of 6.17 is the best in track history for anyone with more than one start. He is fast here. Period.
Sunday’s eero 400 marks the Cup Series’ first trip back to the track since 2019. Larson, however, got an early look during a two-day tire test back in April. That extra track time paid off immediately, with Larson posting blistering times during Friday’s practice session.
He claims the test helped the whole Hendrick stable, including teammates Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman. Extra laps breed confidence. Still, Larson knows the competition is too fierce for anyone to stay ahead for long.
He needs a win. Badly. The 33-year-old is currently mired in a miserable 42-race winless streak. His last trip to victory lane was way back at Kansas in May 2025. But the two-time champion is finally showing signs of life. He has racked up five top-fives in his last six starts, including a solid fourth-place run at Sonoma last weekend. He is knocking on the door.
Chicagoland has teased him before. Larson finished second in his last two appearances here. He lost a heartbreaker to Bowman in 2019, and fell just short against Kyle Busch in a legendary 2018 duel. He wants that missing trophy.
Before the April test, Larson queued up the tape of that wild 2018 finish with Busch. He watched it again this week.
Busch passed away in May at the age of 41. For Larson, watching those old clips now brings a heavy dose of perspective. It was a hell of a fight. Larson admits he wishes his old rival was still around to trade paint one more time.
There is also a side hustle to worry about this weekend. Larson is locked in a head-to-head bracket battle with teammate William Byron for NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. The survivor of this five-race tournament pocketing a cool million bucks.
If there is any tension between the teammates, they hid it well on Friday. Larson insists he is not obsessing over the bracket. He has a simpler plan. Win the race, and the money takes care of itself.
