"I haven’t put much thought into that" - Kyle Larson on being the 'Hunter' going into 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs

Kyle Larson is one of the 16 drivers who managed to qualify for the playoffs and will be seeing action to win Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 400.

The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, however, has had a substandard performance this season when compared to his dominant debut campaign for Hendrick Motorsports last year. The #5 Chevrolet driver who had five wins before the playoffs, has only scored two wins with a huge gap between the two.

Heading into the NASCAR playoffs on being the Hunter and defender of the championship, Laron stated that he is not thinking about it. He went on to say that last year before the playoffs, he had 52 playoff points, and this year he had just 19 points in the first 26 races.

Speaking to the media about his preparations for the playoffs, Larson said:

“I don’t know... I haven’t put much thought into that. Obviously when you look at the points; I think last year, we had 40-something, maybe closer to 50 playoff points, as we headed into the playoffs. This year, I think we only have 19. It already adds a little bit more pressure on each race knowing that you need to go get stage points, stage wins, race wins, all of that, to help out your post-regular season.”

He continued:

“This first round sets up really nice for us and our team. There are three really great tracks for us, so I think it’s a good opportunity for us to have a good few showings; get some playoff points, and try to put ourselves in a better spot as we approach the next couple of rounds.”

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Kyle Larson failed to finish Sunday’s race at Daytona International Speedway

Kyle Larson started the recently concluded Coke Zero Sugar 400 from the pole after the rain canceled out qualifying. 14 laps into the race, Larson radioed his #5 Hendrick Motorsports that his car was overheating and it started cooking the engine of his car.

In a matter of time, he headed to the garage with engine issues and finished his day early. It was the third time that Larson’s #5 Chevrolet faced engine issues.

With an unfortunate DNF result, Larson's winless streak at Daytona International Speedway continued on Sunday.

Catch Kyle Larson at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 4, 2022.