Kyle Larson inching closer to Sprint Cup victory

Any Larson wins from this point on would snatch away an automatic transfer spot from a Chase driver in the next two postseason elimination phases. The uptick in performance — both from the driver and his Chip Ganassi Racing team — has been enough to prompt Larson to talk in hypotheticals about his would-be Chase chances.

Larson, 22, first ventured into the Sprint Cup tour with four races last season with the Harry Scott Jr.-owned No. 51 team. Now he’s returning to the same tracks for the second or third time, heating up just as the weather takes a sharp turn toward autumn.

What-ifs? Why not?

“Yeah, I think it’s a little bit of experience, second time at the track, and a lot of these tracks in the Chase are (some) of my best tracks, so I think that’s why we’ve been running really well,” Larson said. “Yeah, just got to keep it going. I think Charlotte is another mile‑and‑a‑half, so we should hopefully be pretty good there. We had a couple tire issues there the last race (which) is why we didn’t finish very well, and then Texas ‑‑ Phoenix I even kind of like, and Homestead should be a good one. Martinsville is probably the worst track on the schedule, so don’t expect much there, but anything can happen at Talladega, too.

“Yeah, if I can just make the Chase, I’d have a lot of fun because these are some of my favorite tracks.”

Among the first to lean in and shake the rookie’s hand post-race was third-place finisher Kyle Busch, who said his car lacked the pace to keep up with either Logano or Larson down the stretch. The two share not only a first name but common ground, both entering the sport as a can’t-miss kid with gobs of sheer talent.

Now with the better part of 10 seasons and 359 starts making up his rich Sprint Cup history, the 29-year-old Busch’s days as an up-and-coming prodigy are behind him, but he sees in Larson a glimpse into the sport’s future.

“Awesome. I think Larson is a great addition to the Sprint Cup Series,” Busch said. “I think he’s got a lot of talent. We knew that coming up. We knew it wasn’t going to be a long road before he got here — that’s why he’s in the seat he’s in. As a matter of fact, I asked Chip (Ganassi) if he’s the one that found him or if we need to blame somebody else for bringing him here.

“The kid has done a good job. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s fun to race around. He’s a hard racer, too. He sometimes don’t give you a whole lotta room, but when he knows to give you room, he gives you room, too. It’s been fun to see him learn this year. I mean, I’d like to see him finishing behind us a little more often, but he has already this year. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.”

When Larson got the call-up to NASCAR’s big leagues this season as a fresh-faced 21-year-old, speculation among fans and insiders alike was that the Sprint Cup promotion to the No. 42 Chevrolet’s seat was a rush job. After erratic results in the opening three races of the season, the “too soon” theorists had some early fuel for their argument.

But the improvement has come in waves, causing the team to adjust their season-long goals from racing in the top-10 to competing for top-five finishes. Setting sights on the Chase will have to wait until next year, but Larson still has plenty of accomplishments next up on the list.

“I definitely feel like I’ve been running a lot better than what I thought I would to start the season, but I thought I would make the Chase, too,” Larson said. “A little bit disappointed there, but I’ve been finishing better than I thought I would have, so happy about that. But just missed that one goal that we had before the season started.

“Like I said, just got to keep it going.”

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