Top-10 effort for Larson, HendrickCars.com team at Martinsville
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway
LENGTH: 0.526-mile
DATE: Oct. 29, 2023
STARTED: 5th
FINISHED: 6th
STANDINGS: 1st (tied)
Kyle Larson, who started fifth in Sunday’s 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway, dropped a couple spots early in the 130-lap first stage. When the event’s first caution waved on lap 103, he was scored eighth but said the No. 5 entry was “not terrible.” After stopping for four tires and fuel, Larson restarted ninth but lost two positions before stage one ended.
Crew chief Cliff Daniels called for a change of right-side tires under the first stage break while other drivers elected not to stop during the caution period. Larson restarted 15th but fell three spots while battling a “really tight in the center but no drive off” condition with his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. When a caution waved on lap 215, Daniels again called Larson to pit road for service with the Elk Grove, California, native restarting 17th with four new tires. He finished in that position when stage two ended at lap 260.
During the stage break, Daniels elected not to bring the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to pit road. Larson leapfrogged those that pitted and restarted seventh. When a caution waved at lap 302, Daniels was one of only handful of crew chiefs to pit. After a four-tire exchange, Larson restarted 19th on lap 310 and gained three positions before another caution waved at lap 322. This time, Daniels elected for a gas-only stop. With less time spent in the pit box, Larson was second in the race off pit road – and sixth on the scoring pylon behind four teams that did not stop.
There would be no more cautions in the 500-lap race, and Larson fell to ninth with 50 laps to go. But he began picking up positions late in the race and was scored sixth at lap 490 – holding the position through the checkered flag.
QUOTING KYLE LARSON:
“I was glad we weren’t fighting for points. But our No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy team did the best we could out of the day. My team made some good strategy calls there in the final stage to get some track position and came away with the best finish possible.”
NEXT RACE:
Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team head west for the championship-deciding race at Phoenix Raceway. The 400-lap showdown goes green at 3 p.m. and will be televised live on NBC.
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