CONCORD, N.C. – Hendrick Motorsports heads to Michigan International Speedway this Sunday to take on the 2-mile oval after back-to-back road course races, and Kyle Larson is ready to continue his run of strong performances in the 2021 regular season.
Larson has claimed three wins at the Michigan venue along with five top-five finishes and six top-10s. While it is his first time racing at Michigan for Hendrick Motorsports, he knows what it takes to win in the Irish Hills.
“It’s just big and fast but now, with this aero package, it’s a lot more methodical racing with the draft and you have to make sure when you are making a move, you are going to clear the guy and be able to get in front to get back in the draft,” Larson explained. “You have to be aggressive but smart about it; patient, too. You have to use your brain a little bit.”
Since this is the first time the No. 5 team will race together at Michigan, crew chief Cliff Daniels has his work cut out for him to ensure the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE is properly set up to get the best results.
“Michigan is a tough place to know where to set the trim of your car for drag and downforce,” Daniels said. “A lot of the mile-and-a-half’s are more similar in that regard. At Michigan, you really have to have speed in your car. Of course, you have to have the right amount of handling to get through the corners, but the straightaways are long and the track is smooth.
“If you have handling on your side – which hopefully we do – then you must be able to go fast in a straight line.”
Larson and the rest of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers are ready to race hard to take home a win for Chevrolet, which calls Michigan its hometown track. This season, teammate Chase Elliott took home the manufacturer’s 800th NASCAR Cup Series win, and Larson knows how special each victory is to all of the hard-working partners at Chevy.
“I think in the back of all of our driver’s minds, we want to get that win for our OEMs,” Larson said. “I have been fortunate enough to do it a few times and get to see the reactions from everybody at Chevrolet and how excited they were then, so I would like to be able to bring that trophy back to them.”
Tune in this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN to see Larson and the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates take on Michigan in the penultimate race of the regular season.