BUY TICKETS: Celebrate Auto Club’s 20th anniversary
Kyle Larson exited the Phoenix Raceway weekend, the fourth event in the season’s 36-race circuit, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings leader for the first time in his young career.
At just 24 years old, Larson is the sixth-youngest points leader in the sport’s history.
Larson’s top spot can be credited to the Chip Ganassi Racing wheelman’s three consecutive runner-up results at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
Larson is one of just two drivers to win points in every stage completed thus far in 2017. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski has also earned points from every stage.
The trio of second-place finishes puts the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year in rare — and good — company as just the 16th Monster Energy Cup Series driver to achieve this feat. It is also only the 25th time in the series history a driver has finished second three or more consecutive times.
He is also the youngest driver ever to accomplish this at 24 years, seven months and 19 days and the sole athlete to do so in the first four races of a given season.