“I had to work a lot harder”: Kyle Larson opens up about his late contest with Josh Berry

Kicking off his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series contention this year with a win at Richmond Raceway last Sunday, Kyle Larson was certainly not the favorite going into the 400-lap-long race.

At a track where the Toyota-manufactured cars have been known to be at their best historically, the Hendrick Motorsports driver managed to hold off the competition in his #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The Toyota Owners 400 saw the California native hold off his interim teammate Josh Berry on a late restart during the race. Larson also benefitted from William Byron's bad luck on the 0.75-mile-long track after contact with Christopher Bell sent the #24 Chevy driver spinning out of contention.

Speaking on how he managed to keep Berry at arm's length during the final restart before he crossed the checkered flag in P1, Kyle Larson addressed the dynamic between the two drivers. He elaborated in a post-race press conference:

"I could tell that first restart he and myself both kind of underdrove (turn) 1 and I got clear of him pretty easy. So when we got that quick caution I was like, 'Dang, now he knows how much further he can run the corner.' He did a much better job that second time and I had to work a lot harder to get clear of him off of (turn) 2."

Kyle Larson ultimately managed to hold off JJ Yeley in the dying stages of the race, taking his first win of the 2023 Cup Series season at the Richmond Raceway in Virginia.

Victory at Richmond Raceway marks the 20th career win for Kyle Larson in the NASCAR Cup Series

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson managed to clinch his 20th victory in the highest echelon of stock car racing last Sunday. The Elk Grove, California native was seen taking the checkered flag in P1 after a late restart, holding off interim teammate Josh Berry in the process.

Larson's win in Virginia became the third victory for Rick Hendrick's team in the Cup Series this season, and the first to come after their L2-level penalties for modified hood louvers.

Interim crew chief for Larson, Kevin Mendeering, elaborated on the team's efforts and said:

"I was just happy to fill a gap and help those guys out in a tough situation. This is a testament to all the hard work but those guys on that team and to Hendrick Motorsports."

NASCAR goes live from the Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday for the 2023 Food City Dirt Race.