CONCORD, N.C. - Can Kyle Larson go two for two in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition to start 2024?
That's the question the Elk Grove, California, native will attempt to answer this weekend in Chicago. Saturday afternoon's main event will be his second race with the No. 17 HendrickCars.com team this season. He also enters the weekend as the solo NASCAR Cup Series' regular season points leader.
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Larson's opening start in the division this year came at Circuit of The Americas and ended with a memorable victory — the first Xfinity Series win for Hendrick Motorsports on a road course in team history. Coming into Turn 15 on the final lap, the No. 17 entry sat in third position as the leaders raced hard for the top spot. After the two front runners made contact, Larson was able to get around both drivers before Turn 16 and claim the victory.
This weekend, Larson is aiming to win in consecutive Xfinity Series starts for the first time since 2018 and add to his 15 wins in the division. Getting the extra track time will also be valuable as the conditions will likely be different from 2023's record setting levels of rain fall in the Chicago area leading up to the green flag.
Even with inclement weather that interrupted 2023's event, Larson put on an impressive drive to a top-five finish. During the 78-lap main event, the driver of the No. 5 entry earned stage finishes of seventh and second before finishing in the fourth position. That said, the top-five result included a drive from 13th to fourth in the final segment. On a day where passing attempts often led to incidents, Larson was able to keep the car clean in his drive to the front.
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For the No. 17 team as a whole, they group hopes to find victory lane for a third time in 2024. Most recently, the Greg Ives led team was victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Chase Elliott behind the wheel. In the end, it was a strategy call that saved an extra set of tires for their driver, allowing Elliott to maneuver his way to the point position late in the race.
Tune in to see the team compete at the Chicago Street Course on Saturday, July 6, at 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on NBC, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).