DOVER, Del. – Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team are back.
After a two-month slump that Larson considered on Saturday the toughest stretch of racing that he remembers, the No. 5 team looked like its normal self during Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
After a putrid race at Sonoma Raceway last weekend and qualifying being set by the metric due to Mother Nature striking Dover on Saturday, Larson started the race from 26th. He weaved through the field rapidly, picking off several cars every few laps. When AJ Allmendinger had a tire unravel in the waning laps of the opening stage, the No. 5 car shot up to 10th, earning a stage point.
The charge continued for Larson during the second stage, with the eight Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing entries separating themselves from the field. The No. 5 car cracked the top five at the conclusion of Stage 2, scoring six additional stage points.
“It was just tough starting in the back, and we just kind of had to work slowly at it all day long,” Larson said post race. “On the long runs here, you just have to be really patient, and that’s how we were today.”
When a pop-up shower hit the track on Lap 336 during a green-flag pit cycle, Larson was one of six drivers scored on the lead lap. With a host of wave-around cars, crew chief Cliff Daniels brought the No. 5 car down pit road for fresh tires.
Larson was looking at a top five finish before a wider rain cell paused the race with 14 laps remaining. After a 56-minute red flag, he battled other drivers who soared through the field on fresher tires like Chase Briscoe, who reached second place. Denny Hamlin earned his 58th career victory, holding the field off on much older tires. Larson was fourth, which is his best finish since dominating at Kansas Speedway in early May.
“It’s good to get a top-five finish and get back on the horse there,” Larson added. “Hopefully, we can string together some good runs now.”
During the eight races between Kansas and Dover, Larson tallied a trio of top-10 finishes, with a single top five at Michigan International Speedway in early June. He led only 37 laps during that span, 34 of which came during the Coca-Cola 600 in late May. The other three laps were out front last weekend at Sonoma.
With 40 points on the day – Larson’s most since the Kansas triumph – he remains in the regular-season championship battle, especially as William Byron was caught up in a late incident. Larson ranks third, 38 points back with five races remaining.
“It was really important,” Larson said of being in the mix at Dover. “We were solid. Nothing went crazy and we had a good car and executed well. I’m proud of that, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into other weekends.”
The next set of races bodes well for Larson. He is the defending winner of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After that is Iowa Speedway, where the No. 5 car was setting a torrid pace last year before being involved in a wreck. Next up is Watkins Glen International, a historic road course where Larson has won twice in the last four seasons. He also has a Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway attached to his name. The primary hurdle could be Daytona International Speedway in the regular season finale, as superspeedway racing has plagued Larson.
Either way, Larson feels good about the next stretch of races.
Larson said, “Indy, will hopefully go well. Iowa, we were good last year but I’m sure it will be completely different this year. Would love to get some more solid runs like we did today.”