Why Kyle Larson's first Sprint Cup victory could come in Coca-Cola 600

By foxsports
Published

Kyle Larson has come close to his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory a handful of time this year.

At Martinsville Speedway in April, he was right there at the end of it, finishing third behind AJ Allmendinger and race winner Kyle Busch.

Larson was even closer at Dover International Speedway a couple weeks back, finishing second after a hard battle with winnner Matt Kenseth.

After an incredible battle with Chase Elliott to win the final segment of the Sprint Showdown, he turned around and almost got the job done in the All-Star Race until he scrapped the wall with two laps remaining, giving the lead to Joey Logano.

Although the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (FOX, 5 p.m. ET) is a totally different kind of animal than the All-Star event, Larson feels confident heading into a race that would be pretty special if he won.

"It would mean a lot," said Larson about winning this weekend. "It would mean a lot to get it (first win) anywhere. Especially here at Charlotte since it's close to home and you have family and friends here."

The 23-year-old is also keeping in mind the differences between the 600 and the All-Star Race.

"I've seen in the past, drivers run well in the All-Star Race and not in the 600," said Larson. 

That may be true, but Larson has proven he has all the tools necessary to break into Victory Lane, it's just a matter of when.

"We've been rolling good the last few weeks," Larson added. "Hopefully we can keep the momentum going. Our cars are getting faster and everyone at the shop is working really, really hard. Lately, we've been bringing really good stuff to the track."

If Larson and his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing team can put together a solid race over the course of 600 long miles, he'll be up front contending for the win when it counts on Sunday night.