MICHIGAN MAN: Kyle Larson has a strong NASCAR Cup Series track record at Michigan International Speedway. The 31-year-old earned his first-ever Cup Series victory at the 2-mile track in 2016, a win that was part of a streak of three consecutive triumphs in the Irish Hills (and also the last three Cup wins for Chevrolet at this track). The moderately-banked D-shaped speedway is the winningest venue in the premier series for the 2021 Cup Series champion and he is tied for the second-most wins among active drivers there. In his 14 starts at Michigan, Larson has three victories, six top-five finishes, eight top-10s, led 220 laps and completed 2,570 of his 2,676 laps attempted (96%).
UP FRONT IN THE GREAT LAKE STATE: The Elk Grove, California, native has a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan. That is the third-longest streak among active drivers in the series. In that same span, he has an average finish of 4.33. In the last two Cup Series races at Michigan, Larson has run the most laps in the top five (261) and the second-most laps in the top 10 (330).
BACK & BETTER: Larson knows how to help his organization rebound from tough performances. In two of the last three races where a Hendrick Motorsports driver has not finished in the top 10, a driver from the Rick Hendrick-owned team won the next race. In April, Larson won at Martinsville Speedway after the organization was shutout of the top 10 in the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last year, he was victorious at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the organization did not score a top 10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
2-MILE KYLE: Larson has the third-most wins (five) on 2-mile tracks among active Cup Series drivers. Currently, the Cup Series schedule is home to two 2-mile tracks: Michigan and Auto Club Speedway. In addition to his three Michigan wins, Larson has two victories at Auto Club. His combined win total at the two tracks is tied for 11th-best among all drivers.
FOUR RACES REMAINING: With four races remaining in the 2023 regular season, Larson has earned the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team a spot in the playoffs for the third season in a row. He has won two points-paying races (Richmond Raceway and Martinsville) and the non points-paying All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. He has claimed nine top-five finishes (the most of all drivers), 10 top-10s and three stage wins. Larson has led the third-most laps (622) in 2023, which is a category teammate William Byron (810) leads. He also has run the fourth-most laps in the top-five (2,078) and top 10 (3,285) and has the fifth-best average running position in the top series (12.29). In addition, Larson is tied with Byron for the best average starting position (9.77) this season.
FOUR TIRES FAST: Through 22 races, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew has the third-fastest four-tire average pit stop time (11.113 seconds). Their four-tire stop of 9.281 seconds on lap 93 at Nashville Superspeedway in June is the fourth-fastest four-tire stop of the season. The No. 5 team’s five-man pit crew consists of Blaine Anderson (front-tire changer), R.J. Barnette (tire carrier), Brandon Harder (fueler), Brandon Johnson (jackman) and Calvin Teague (rear-tire changer). Rod Cox is currently filling in for Teague, who is week-to-week as he rehabs a knee injury.
EXTRACURRICULAR: In addition to his full-time Cup Series schedule, Larson often races dirt during the week. On Tuesday, Larson competed in the High Limit Sprint Car Series race at Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, Indiana. This is a series that he co-founded with brother-in-law Brad Sweet. The No. 57 sprint car driver finished in second at the checkered flag. For the full High Limit Series schedule, click here.
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Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the significance Michigan International Speedway has had in his career: "Our team is looking forward to running at Michigan (International Speedway) this weekend. My first ever NASCAR Cup Series win was at Michigan, so it’s certainly a special place to me. With only two 2-mile tracks on the schedule, our team is looking for redemption following Fontana (Auto Club Speedway). I’ve had two solid top-10 finishes with the No. 5 team in my last two starts, so I hope to be able to repeat that. The team has been putting in hard work at the shop to build a fast HendrickCars.com Chevy, so I’m eager to hit the track and give it our best."
Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Michigan: "We are definitely looking forward to Michigan (International Speedway). It’s a super fast track. Lots of wide-open throttle time but your car also has to handle good. It’s (Michigan) got it’s own unique challenges but we have a lot of confidence in our engine shop. They have been giving us great engines and obviously that has a big impact at this track. We’ve got to do a good job of putting a good car under Kyle (Larson) and let him do his thing. Hopefully, we can go have a nice solid (race) day."
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