"I had more confidence out in front" - Kyle Larson on battling AJ Allmendinger at NASCAR Watkins Glen race

Kyle Larson overcame early wet conditions to win the Watkins Glen International race on Sunday, his second Cup Series victory of the 2022 season. Larson first took the race lead with five laps remaining, for the second day in a row, holding off road-course racer and fellow Californian AJ Allmendinger for the trophy.

It wasn't easy for Larson to defend his race-winning run at Watkins Glen. He and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott helped lead the field to the green flag after a lengthy lightning delay at the start of the race.

In the final stage, Elliott held the lead, but Larson overtook him on the restart following caution where Elliott dropped to fourth place. Allmendinger made every effort to catch Larson, but the lead was never surrendered.

During the post-race interview, Kyle Larson was asked how it felt to beat road-course racer AJ Allmendinger twice in the Road Courses race. In his statement, he said

“Yeah, obviously when he came out in second behind me, you get nervous again. I hadn’t really seen him much all day so I didn’t know how good he was. But I felt like my car today was much better than my car yesterday, so I had more confidence out in front of him today than yesterday, too.”

Larson passed Elliott in a wide-sweeping first turn, with Allmendinger and Joey Logano getting around Elliott. Allmendinger pursued Larson, but the driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet proved too strong for the second day in a row.

Larson won on Sunday despite a late charge from AJ Allmendinger. It was his second consecutive victory at Watkins Glen. Larson hasn't been to Victory Lane since the season's second race.

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Kyle Larson’s victory at Watkins Glen International added another win to Chevrolet brand this season

Kyle Larson's victory was accompanied by a strong Chevrolet showing at the end of the 90-lap race, with Chevrolet drivers finishing in four of the top five and six of the top 10. Larson's victory extended Chevrolet's impressive winning streak on the series' road course circuits, giving the bowtie brand 11 consecutive NCS road course victories.

Furthermore, since Chase Elliott's victory at Watkins Glen in 2019, the Chevrolet-powered machine has won 15 of the last 16 NCS road course races. Chevrolet, the game-winning brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, has now won 14 of the series 25 races this season, with momentum on the bowtie brand's side as the NCS regular season comes to a close in just one week.