How did Kyle Larson perform at NASCAR's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway?

Defending Champion Kyle Larson, driving the Camaro ZL1 No. 5 for Hendrick Motorsports, entered his seventh race of the season as the favorite to win the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on Sunday, April 3rd.

He started at pole 21 behind rookie driver Austin Cindric after a tough qualifying race. Knowing his capabilities, the starting position was not going to determine his finish. The green flag was officially waved at exactly 3:47 p.m. EST, with Ryan Blaney taking the lead after winning the pole.

A few minutes later, the first caution was called after Kurt Busch experienced a technical problem with his No. 45 car. Following the caution, Kyle Larson was among the few drivers who took an early pit stop.

On Twitter, Kurt Busch explained what happened.

Kyle Larson began dominating with 25 laps to go in the first set, advancing to 16th place with a clear shot at the top ten. At the end of the second stage, Larson ran into the top ten, making good progress as he tried to reach the lead position.

The Hendrick driver picked up momentum in the final stages, coming all the way from pole 21 to the third position with only 20 laps to go. At this point, his teammate William Byron held the lead with Truex Jr. behind him.

With 10 laps remaining, Denny Hamlin, who was running behind Larson, overpowered him and with only four laps remaining, the No. 11 driver grabbed the lead from Byron. Harvick also made up ground, stretching Larson to 5th.

Kyle Larson managed to finish top five after three disappointing weeknds

The Fontana winner tried his hardest to avoid a wreck. On Twitter, Hendrick Motorsports updated Larson's performance, stating that:

"Kyle Larson earns his third top-five finish of 2022."

Larson has experienced three consecutive hectic weekends, recording 34th, 30th and 29th places finishes, respectively. The race was tough for him, but he seized every opportunity that came his way.

Larson is now 12th in the drivers' standings after his fifth-place finish. With one pole and one win, he earned his third top-five finish of the season. Larson now sets his sights on the short race at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, where he hopes to collect his second win of the season.