Kyle Larson heads into qualifying day at World Wide Technology Raceway fully aware that the margin for error has vanished. The Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington scattered the standings after the powerhouse teams missed the setup, and Hendrick Motorsports was among the teams left searching for answers.
Larson’s 19th-place finish looked tame only because his teammates fared worse, leaving Gateway’s Enjoy Illinois 300 as the clearest chance to reset before Bristol’s elimination race. Speaking with Fox Sports‘ Bob Pockrass, Larson tied Gateway directly to the venue that crowns the champion.
“I think in the years we’ve ran Gateway already, it’s always to me the one track that shows who’s gonna be good at Phoenix.”
Hendrick Motorsports’ Gateway history underlines this. Since the Cup Series debuted here in 2022, Larson’s P4 in 2023 stands as the group’s best result, while the other Hendrick entries have consistently fallen outside the top 15. Two additional top tens over three seasons for the entire fleet is slim by Hendrick’s lofty standards.
Kyle Larson sees a link between Gateway and Phoenix: both are flat, one-mile intermediates demanding braking stability, clean corner exit, and rhythm over long runs. Gateway’s egg-shaped profile differs, yet its slower, technical corners are similar to the precision Phoenix rewards.
“Penske and Gibbs, they’re always really good there. We’ve been really bad at Gateway but a little better at Phoenix, so if we can get good at Gateway and at least be in the same ballpark as them, that would give us some confidence going to Phoenix,” Larson added.
For Larson, Gateway doubles as an early read on championship readiness. Penske has won two of the three races here, and Hendrick’s recent playoff track record shows promise disappearing under pressure. Though HMS remains NASCAR’s winningest organization, Team Penske has won the last three titles by peaking precisely when Hendrick has stumbled.
Hendrick’s Darlington letdown leaves work to do for Kyle Larson and Co.
The Southern 500 offered no solace. Long regarded as a Hendrick Motorsports playground, the “Lady in Black” exposed a misstep in baseline setups. Chase Elliott’s 17th marked the team’s high point, and broke a streak of five straight years with at least one car inside the top eight.
Kyle Larson logged 12 stage points yet crossed 19th, William Byron’s regular-season dominance translated to 21st, and Alex Bowman was further behind. Playoff math reflects the disappointment. Larson (38 points) and Byron (25) are clear of the cutline, Elliott barely cushions a nine-point gap, and Bowman has a 19-point deficit needing results at Gateway and Bristol. Larson knows fixes must materialize quickly.
“Based off how we ran at Phoenix at the end of last year and then in spring this year, we knew we had no shot to win the championship with the setup that we had. So we had to go to work, and we’ve still been continuing to work on it,” he told (via Bob Pockrass)
Hendrick’s spring trip to Phoenix did produce four top-ten finishes, proof that incremental progress exists. Kyle Larson was on the short list of drivers at Iowa, along with Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski, who tested the new Goodyear tire package NASCAR introduces at Gateway. Familiarity with the compound could shorten HMS’s learning curve on a weekend when even slight improvements matter.
Gateway has punished Hendrick before, but its rhythm mirrors the finesse Phoenix demands. If Larson converts testing knowledge into pace and the No. 5 settles comfortably inside the top five, optimism for November follows. If not, Bristol’s elimination pressure tightens.
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Edited by Tushar Bahl
