DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Closing a season strong often can lay the groundwork for a fast start to the next year. Kyle Larson is a believer in that thought.
The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 wrapped up the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a career-best runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway and a ninth-place run at Phoenix Raceway.
"We ended the year pretty strong," Larson said. "I think whoever was fast at the end of the year is probably going to be pretty good to start the year. We’ll see. Ready to hit the track and see where we stack up."
SEASON PREVIEW: Larson aims to recapture title-season consistency
Last season saw the 2021 Cup Series champion earn three wins, 13 top-five finishes, 19 top-10s and finish seventh in the standings. While those are solid numbers, Larson has acknowledged that mistakes in key moments, whether it was the driver or the team, hindered the group's overall results.
"There were a lot of mistakes that I made behind the wheel and some that we made as a team that cost us some good finishes or opportunities to get a race win," Larson said. "I’m trying to focus more on taking what you can get. I think a lot of times I tried to get more than what our car was capable of or tried too quickly to make up for a mistake. Those mistakes compound and get bigger. Just trying to clean up on those areas and at least keep ourselves in contention more often each week."
RELATED: Larson earns top-five finish in Clash at the Coliseum
The regular season kicks off with the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19. Larson won the pole for last year’s race to give Hendrick Motorsports its seventh pole in eight years for the prestigious event. Four of his five top-10 finishes have come in "The Great American Race." However, his closest run to capturing the Harley J. Earl Trophy came in 2017 when he was leading at the white flag but ran out of fuel on the final lap (and finishing 12th).
The 13-time winner at Hendrick Motorsports acknowledged that he can put himself in better positions during superspeedway races. In 2022, Larson earned his best superspeedway finish – a fourth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway.
"I would love to (win the DAYTONA 500)," Larson said. "I am sure at some point in my career the stars will align, and I will. I need to do a better job of putting myself in the right spot. I used to always say I’ve got bad luck at these places, but I don’t think those guys that are always in contention have better luck than me. They are putting themselves in better position to avoid crashes. I seem to always find my way to around 10th and that is where you get swarmed up in a crash. I’ve just got to continue to evolve and figure it out quickly to be upfront."
RELATED: Viewer's guide, fast facts to know for the DAYTONA 500
Tune in to the 2023 DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
