CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson went all in at Las Vegas and it paid off, taking home his first win of the season in just his fourth start with Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson’s win set the record at Hendrick Motorsports for quickest victory by a driver in his first season with the organization.
“It feels good to get a win this early with a new team and this early in the season,” Larson said. “I feel like we have been close to winning every race to start this year. So, that’s been great. Hopefully, we can continue the success and keep racking up playoff points and position ourselves in a good spot come playoff time.”
Larson credited his monumental win to his car and the speed he had all afternoon. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE spent a total of 103 laps, including the final 30 of the 267-lap race, in the lead.
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“My race car was just really good,” Larson said. “Definitely the best car I‘ve had here at Vegas. To be able to get through the bumps in one and two and run the bottom in three and four, those are areas where I feel like you need to be able to be strong at to be good here and that’s probably where I struggled at in the past.”
Since there were no practices for the Las Vegas race, Larson and crew have had to put in the work off the track. Reflecting on his nine runner-up finishes on 1.5-mile tracks, including a second-place finish at Las Vegas in 2018, Larson used this knowledge to get ready for Sunday’s race.
“I think this is just a testament to the preparation,” Larson said. “I feel like I’m back in school doing homework throughout the week and I feel like all that studying I’ve been doing has paid off on the weekends. (We were) strong right out of the gate and being competitive all throughout the race.”
Also grabbing his first Cup Series win at Las Vegas was No. 5 crew chief Cliff Daniels. In his second full-time season as a crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports, Daniels led his teams to one win, seven top-five results and 17 top-10 finishes.
“I think Cliff just said he was really proud of me and, likewise, I am super proud of him,” Larson said. “It’s so cool for me to be able to get him his first win as a crew chief in the Cup Series. The first win for anybody is awesome and for me to be able to drive this car and get him his first win felt really cool.”
Team owner Rick Hendrick called Larson after the race, which Larson described as a surreal moment. Larson is the 20th driver to win in a Hendrick Motorsports car and the No. 5 Chevrolet is near and dear to Hendrick’s heart.
“(Vice president of competition) Chad Knaus handed me his phone and it was Mr. H in victory lane,” Larson said. “It was just cool to hear his voice and say how proud he was of me and say how proud he was to take his son’s colors to victory lane was really awesome. Hearing him in the media center about how this win is one of the most special wins he can remember because of us taking Ricky’s paint scheme to victory lane was just really cool.
“I know it’s not going to be our last one, our last win in this paint scheme, so I just hope we can continue to honor Ricky and Rick and continue to do a good job.”