Kyle Larson and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team put up another solid season in 2023. 2024 will see the team go for four straight Championship Four appearances. Meanwhile, Larson will be on the hunt for his second championship. With 39 Days to Daytona, what is in store for the #5 Hendrick Motorsports team?
#5 Hendrick Motorsports
Driver: Kyle Larson
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Sponsors: HendrickCars.com, Valvoline
2024 Season Preview
Championship Four Four-peat/Repeat
The #5 Hendrick Motorsports team has made the owners’ Championship Four each season that Kyle Larson has driven the car. Larson and team will look to make that four straight seasons in 2024. In addition to that, Larson will look to make the drivers’ Championship Four in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career.
Surviving the First Two Rounds
In order to make the Championship Four, Kyle Larson will have to survive the first two rounds of the playoffs. Historically, the Round of 12 has been Larson’s kryptonite (especially since joining Hendrick). This was the round that knocked him out in 2022. Last season, things got hairy for Larson during this round. With Atlanta being the first race of the playoffs, Larson will have to survive two rounds with a superspeedway. Based on his luck on those tracks, Larson could face must wins in both early rounds of the playoffs.
Was 2021 an Outlier?
When Kyle Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports, he put together a historically great season. Larson became the first driver since Jimmie Johnson (2007) to win double-digit races in a single Cup Series season. Since 2021, Larson has yet to put together another dominating season. The NextGen car has increased the parity in the Cup Series, but a teammate of Larson’s has won more races than him each of the NextGen years.
Finish the Wins
Last year, Kyle Larson led the most laps in the Cup Series. However, this only resulted in 4 wins. This was bested by William Byron (111 less laps led) and tied by Ryan Blaney (565 less laps led). In 6 races, Larson led at least 30% of the laps without winning the race. Of those 6 races, half ended in DNFs. Cliff Daniels and the #5 team have hooked Larson up with great speed. However, Larson seemingly makes a crucial mistake to cost himself the win. Will Kyle Larson be able to cash in with more wins this season? Can Larson reign himself in to prevent overdriving that leads to DNFs with race winning speed?
Daytona 500 Chances
As mentioned earlier, Kyle Larson has no luck on the superspeedways. In his 10 Daytona 500 starts, his best finish is 7th (2019) with an average finish of 18.9. His 3 Top-10s pair nicely with his 3 DNFs. To be fair, his last Daytona 500 DNF was due to an engine issue. At Daytona as a whole, his summertime record at the track does not improve things. Overall, superspeedway racing and Kyle Larson does not mesh well. While he usually finds himself toward the front, his car becomes a magnet for wrecking vehicles during the later portions.
Speedweeks Outlook
There are a few certainties in this world: death, taxes, and Hendrick cars sitting on the front row of the Daytona 500. For the past two Daytona 500s, Kyle Larson has sat on the front row. Expect another strong qualifying effort from Larson this season. If he qualifies on the front row, Larson will ride around the back for his duel race. When it comes to the Daytona 500 itself, Larson will race his way to the front before inevitably finding himself in a multi-car wreck.
Previous Days
40 Days: #12 Team Penske
