KANSAS CITY, Kan — Not too long ago, Kyle Larson was ringing the victory bell at Kansas Speedway for the second time in three races at the Midwestern track. The triumphant sounds are a faint noise now, however, as that day still stands as Larson’s most recent victory, some four months ago.

Coming back to a track like Kansas is special, given that Larson is the only repeat winner over the last 10 races here and has statistically set the standard since joining Hendrick Motorsports, proven by the fact he ranks second on the track’s all-time laps led list with 924 and 760 of those have come since 2021.

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“I haven’t won a race since this one, and really haven’t been that consistently good since this race earlier this year,” Larson said before Saturday’s practice. “It’d be nice to get a win, but we’ve been working extremely hard the last few months to get back to the point of where we were leading a bunch of laps and winning stages, and I feel like we’ve learned a lot along the way. I hope we can kind of put that all in motion and have a good day.”

Being up front at intermediates is Larson’s bread and butter; not only has he scored the most points on 1.5-mile tracks this year among playoff drivers, but he also owns six wins at this style of racing in the Next Gen era.

Since that May triumph, both Larson and his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, were open about the fact that their group has had to persevere not only through an uncharacteristic summer slump and a trying Round of 16 with no top 10s, but personal challenges off-track as well.

“I hope someday we get to tell the story of the five team this year,” Daniels said. “What a lot of people don’t know is a lot of the behind-the-scenes of what we’ve faced on the personal side, without getting into all the details, we’ve had guys get sick. We’ve had scares with babies. We’ve had marriage, we’ve had divorce, we’ve literally had a teammate pass away this year.

“Our focus, of course, is always to do our job and to perform, but more than ever, this year has challenged me to make sure that I’m there for the team, supporting them personally the way they need to be supported, so that we can go do our jobs professionally.”

Larson echoed a similar sentiment, with tension ramping up every week in the postseason, the No. 5 wheelman is committed to not letting his crew dwell on negatives and wants to lead by example when adversity strikes.

“I think just for me, you know, just staying positive and motivated and not letting team members see you down or not motivated, so trying to just keep putting in my best effort every week, and, you know, letting them know that we have a shot to run well, every week is always good.”

Last week was a sign that Larson and Co. are starting to get back in the groove of being an up-front contender regularly. Larson scored a seventh-place finish at New Hampshire, a track Hendrick had made strides on to be more prepared for flat tracks like Phoenix. It was the kind of step forward that could turn into a bigger push and remind the field why he entered as the No. 1 seed.

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The timing is right for a return to form after weeks of watching Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske set the tone. Back in its all white uniforms — a look saved for tracks near the team’s dealership network — much like a home team putting on its familiar color. The No. 5 team has the confidence to reclaim its place in the playoff fight — and possibly return to Victory Lane.

“I’m excited and confident about what we’ve built on the five team, and I think even right now, it’s kind of showcasing that we’re quietly stepping our way through the playoffs, and we’ve still had a very reasonable season,” Daniels added. “You don’t accidentally walk into the playoffs as the top seed. That doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t happen that you’re accidentally third in points. You’ve got to earn that, and that’s our mindset.”