Kyle Larson Publicly Concedes It's "Hard to Compete Against" Chase Elliott Amidst Hopes of a Cup Series Rebound
On Sunday at the Ally 400, Kyle Larson (P4) will start only a few rows ahead of Chase Elliott (P19). Facing the music, either of those former Hendrick champions will break their points stalemate and take the lead at the top of the regular season table, with all but a few good moves in Music City. But that's not the only standstill the duo currently face. At NASCAR heads to its 4th annual trip to the Nashville Superspeedway, Elliott and Larson both hold the opportunity to break a hefty deadlock by winning the race and claiming either's second-ever custom Les Paul at the 1.33-mile racetrack. However, it would appear that the parity's closer than ever between the #5 and the #9 camps awaiting the excitements in middle Tennessee. That is exactly what Kyle Larson believes, that too with some well-warranted caution. As it all unfolds, the #5 driver revealed his thought process on battling a familiar opponent "neck and neck," while gunning for ultimate glory in the 2024 NASCAR season.
Kyle Larson & Chase Elliott in points race despite different paths
When the grid rolls off following the green flag, Larson and Elliott will be tied at the top of the points table at 620 points. It is important to note that the former currently holds the leverage of 67 stage points, courtesy of 8 stage wins over Elliott's advances that have resulted in one stage win in almost twenty points-paying races. However, the more notable statistical difference instead has been Larson's one-race absence in the 2024 calendar en route to his first potential regular-season championship. As most must know by now, this was due to his inability to perform in May after an unfortunately natural circumstance at the Coca-Cola 600 Crown Jewel. The charter/no charter drama that followed Larson from that debacle is now safely a memoir of the past, evident through his weekly points march. But a newer issue surrounds Kyle Larson currently. And Caleb Barnes of Frontstretch presented it to the man himself, with an apt question that went something like, "You're neck and neck with teammate Chase Elliott coming down for the regular season points. Does that affect how you race him down the stretch?" Dismissing the idea of any extra motives for some over-the-top competition, Kyle Larson said, "I don't think so. I mean, there's still a lot of racing left before the playoff starts." Stressing his point further, the #5 driver laid out his eventual desire and an alternative reason for what spurred his initial refusal of the notion. "But no, I mean, we raced really well together and it's been great to see their team, you know, being as strong as they are this year. They're super consistent, so that's hard to compete against. But you know, our team's been doing a good job too. And just got to get back onto those consistent runs like we've had," opined Larson appearing calm, collected, and realistic as always.
Kyle Larson
Meanwhile, NASCAR's statisticians recently dropped a fascinating mid-season comparison for the Hendrick Motorsports stablemates. Kyle Larson reigns supreme in laps led, racking up a whopping 755, with a staggering 80% of those laps coming in the first two stages of races. On the other hand, Chase Elliott boasts a near-perfect attendance record (speculatively enviable to Larson), having completed all but one lap this year. Moreover, Elliott also "leads all drivers with a 9.161 average finish" in the last 19 races. Hence, the battle for supremacy at Nashville is barely as simple as the question of an in-house tug-of-war. It is one of accolades, records, and, most importantly, making history at the 4th annual Ally 400. But what does NASCAR's history-making 7x Most Popular Driver think about these recent developments?
JGR spoiler alert at the Hendrick party in Nashville?
In the last 5 races, Kyle Larson has recorded a DNS, a top-10, a race win, a DNF, and a top-5, in that exact consecutive order. That would leave very few doubts as to why one would say that the most recent stretch of races has quite clearly been a real rollercoaster ride for the entire #5 team. As for Elliott, though, he hasn't exactly lived up to the same standards that were once expected of him. A lot could be accredited to his recovery from a fractured tibia, which normally requires 4-6 months of rehabilitation time. And more could receive endorsements as NASCAR's NextGen evolution, changing by the minute to help theoretically produce a new champion. Nevertheless, Elliott's strength this year heavily lies in his consistency. Although Kyle Larson boasts three race wins compared to the #9 driver's one so far at Texas, leading up to the Ally 400, Elliott is the only driver who has not finished outside the top 20 yet this season. Ironically, Larson registered his first finish outside the 20 spots at that very same race, followed by another P21 the next weekend. In the season's last five outings, Larson's teammate has scored a podium finish, a top 5, two finishes P18 and better, and a P7 at the conclusion of the opportune 2024 Coca-Cola 600. This does reveal an awkward dynamic inside the Hendrick garage. But as Chase Elliott recently told the media in a presser at New Hampshire, "Kyle and I raced for a championship a couple of times. I can say with a lot of confidence that our meetings have never changed - How everyone talks, or the things that are discussed, or the information that is uploaded into our internal servers... It's just important for us to lean on each other, and ultimately take the information that you gather and try to do a better job with it."
