COTA RECAP: Kyle Larson posted the second-fastest speed in practice at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). During qualifying, he solidified a 13th-place starting position for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. Following an on-track incident in stage one of the race, Larson and the team utilized a different pit strategy to gain track position in stage two. That decision led to a seventh-place result in the second stage and four stage points. An eventful final stage saw Larson rally from a mechanical issue that put him two laps down to finish 14th.
MOST LAPS LED: Larson remains the NASCAR Cup Series driver with the most laps led in the 2023 season after six races. The 30-year-old has paced the field for 270 laps, with teammate William Byron (268 laps) just behind him. Larson's laps run in the top five (691 laps) this year are second to Byron (774 laps). Larson also ranks fourth in laps run in the top 10 (813 laps) in 2023.
RACING IN RICHMOND: This Sunday, Larson and the No. 5 team will compete at Richmond Raceway. The race on the .75-mile D-shaped oval will mark his 17th Cup Series start at the Virginia track. Of the 16 previous starts, he has one victory (2017), three top-five finishes, seven top-10s, 92 laps led and has completed 95.7% of his laps run.
SCORING ON SHORT TRACKS: Last season, Larson ranked fourth in points earned on short tracks (182). Teammates Byron (203 points) and Chase Elliott (202 points) ranked second and third, respectively. The Elk Grove, California, native had the fifth-best average finish (9.00) on short tracks in 2022 and was one of six drivers to have an average finish inside the top 10 on that track type. In addition, Larson was tied with three others, including teammate Byron, for a series-best three top-five finishes on short tracks last year.
VICTORY BELL: Larson has two short-track wins in his Cup Series career. The first came at Richmond in September 2017 when he was with Chip Ganassi Racing. The most recent came in September 2021 with a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway during his record-setting title-winning season for Hendrick Motorsports.
HOME RACE HATS: This weekend’s race at Richmond will mark the third home race of the season for the HendrickCars.com team and the new exclusive hat program for fans continues. For every HendrickCars.com home race this season (15 total), there will be a unique hat released the week of the race. Less than 100 of each limited-edition hat will be available for sale at the trackside merchandise haulers and one will be available to win on HendrickCars.com. This week’s Richmond themed hat will be released Thursday and can be found here.
HENDRICKCARS.COM IN VIRGINIA: The Richmond automotive market is home to HendrickCars.com dealership, Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Buick GMC Richmond. If you don’t reside in Richmond, Virginia, or aren’t in town for the race, you can pick from any one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 95 dealerships nationwide. Customers can also shop from the convenience of their home selecting the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com.
HENDRICK IS HIRING: Join 10,000+ others nationwide in working at Hendrick Automotive Group. Hendrick is hiring technicians and other positions at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Individuals who are interested can apply at HendrickCars.com.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on what he learned from running the Gen-6 car and the Next Gen car at Richmond Raceway: "They both drove similarly at Richmond (Raceway). The entry to (turn) three was a little bit looser in the Next Gen car as the run progressed. Richmond was already a hard track to pass on and is probably (now) one of the most difficult tracks to pass on in the Next Gen car. The spring race at Richmond Raceway is really slick and slow. Richmond in general is very finesse." | 
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