Kyle Larson is 16/1 to win on Daytona Road Course

No. 5 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE


Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his first DAYTONA Road Course race: “It’ll be a challenge since I haven’t turned a lap on the road course at Daytona in a Cup car yet, although I have run a couple sports car races there. Those are two very different type cars, but at least I have some laps on the track. (Crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) has some experience with Jimmie (Johnson) there last year and they had a good run, so that gives me confidence. I was able to watch last year’s race, watch some onboard footage to get an idea of shifting and braking points and look at some data. Last week during the Clash, Cliff and I were able to watch it together and discuss some things. I think we’ll have a good starting spot, too, but it’ll be a challenge definitely.”

Larson on his DAYTONA 500 finish: “I wish we could have finished a little bit better in the DAYTONA 500, but we were able to score some points in the Duel, score points in each stage and come out with a top-10 finish even after being collected in the last-lap crash. I hope we can build on that this weekend.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on his approach to DAYTONA Road Course race: “We’re going with a realistic approach. I know the success of our (Hendrick Motorsports) cars and I know how our cars are built. Chase has won the ROVAL (at Charlotte Motor Speedway) a couple times, he won the DAYTONA Road Course event last year and we ran up front with the 48 (car driven by Jimmie Johnson). We have decent idea of how race strategy will play out and we have covered a lot of different scenarios – although every situation is unique. But we are taking a very realistic approach of how to put ourselves in position. There are calls you can make that are too conservative and calls that are too aggressive. We have discussed a lot of scenarios in our strategy meetings to prepare us to make the right call when needed.”


DEBUT PERFORMANCE: In his first start for Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Larson drove the No. 5 NationsGuard Chevrolet to a 10th-place finish in the season-opening DAYTONA 500. Larson led one lap during the 500-mile event and battled for a top-five finish on the final lap before being collected in a multi-car incident in turn three.

ALL FOUR: Larson had four opportunities to score championship points at Daytona International Speedway last week, and he collected each time – one of only four drivers to do so. On Thursday in the Duel qualifying races, points were awarded for the top-10 finishers in each, and he crossed under the checkered flag in seventh in his race. Points are also awarded to the top-10 finishers in each stage during the NASCAR Cup Series season, and the Elk Grove, California, native posted results of fourth and eighth in the two DAYTONA 500 stages, respectively. With his top-10 finish at the end of the 500-mile race, Larson now sits seventh in the point standings.

NEW BUT KNOWN: Larson did not compete in last year’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the DAYTONA Road Course, but he has experience driving on the similar sports car layout at the Florida track. The 28-year-old driver competed in the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2014 through 2016 and was victorious in 2015. The NASCAR layout has a chicane approaching the start/finish line that is not utilized during sports car events.

RC RACING: Larson, the driver of the No. 5 Camaro ZL1 1LE, has 14 starts on road courses in the Cup Series, posting one top-five finish – fourth at Watkins Glen International in 2014 – and four top-10s. Larson has three pole positions – all at Sonoma Raceway – and two stage victories in those starts.

DAYTONA TOP-FIVE: Crew chief Cliff Daniels was atop the pit box for Jimmie Johnson during the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s final season of full-time NASCAR competition in 2020. While Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott led 34 laps en route to victory in the inaugural DAYTONA Road Course event, the Daniels-led No. 48 Chevrolet finished a strong fourth.

NOTABLE START: Sunday’s event will mark Larson’s 225th start in NASCAR’s premier series. He has six wins, 56 top-five finishes and 102 top-10s since entering the Cup Series in 2013. Larson earned rookie of the year honors in 2014.

UNITED NATIONS: NationsGuard, a program that gives car dealers control of their F&I products and customer experience, will adorn the No. 5 Chevrolet again this weekend at Daytona. It will also appear as the primary sponsor at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28. For more information about NationsGuard, click here.