Kyle Larson 2019 season in review

Finishing just outside the top five in the final 2019 Cup Series standings, Kyle Larson put together another solid run in the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. Take a look at his season in review and see what Larson accomplished that no CGR driver ever has before.

Between dirt racing and wheeling a stock car, Kyle Larson has established himself as one of the most versatile and resilient drivers NASCAR’s premier series has to offer. This season saw Larson end the year with a pole, eight top fives and 17 top 10s while leading 529 laps in the process -- all despite a career-high eight DNFs.

During the prestigious All-Star Race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson became only the second driver in series history to win the Open and the All-Star Race. The win not only resulted in a glorious trip to Victory Lane, but it also secured the coveted $1 million check.

Nearing the start of the playoffs, Larson showed incredibly consistent form. The CGR driver enjoyed a stretch of five consecutive races with a top 10 -- the highest being a runner-up finish at Darlington. His points proved to be enough to lock him into the NASCAR Playoffs once again.

After a pair of runner-up finishes during the regular season, Larson finally put a check mark in the win column with an impressive win in the playoff race at Dover. He led 154 of 400 laps and snapped a 75-race winless streak dating back to September of 2017.

The win at Dover locked Larson and Chip Ganassi Racing into the Round of 8 for the first time in history. Before then, no CGR car had ever made it past the Round of 12.

After a big crash at Talladega Superspeedway, Larson suffered a broken rib. In spite of the setback, the 27-year-old driver powered through the pain to post a 14th-place finish at Kansas and ninth at Martinsville in the following week.

Entering Phoenix in a near must-win situation to advance to the Championship 4 finale at Homestead, Larson fell just short after crossing the line in fourth. However, his sixth-place finish in the final Cup Series standings marks the highest ever of his career.