Kyle Larson names his biggest competitor for the NASCAR Championship at Phoenix

Kyle Larson will be racing to claim his second NASCAR Cup Series title this Sunday, November 5, at Phoenix Raceway. Larson's competitors in the championship four are Christopher Bell, William Byron and Ryan Blaney, all three fighting for their maiden title.

While Larson is the favorite to clinch the title this Sunday, he is wary of the threat posed by Team Penske driver Blaney. The #12 Ford driver is heading into the weekend with momentum on his side, as he took home Grandfather's Clock last weekend at Martinsville.

Moreover, Ryan Blaney has historically done well at the 1-mile oval in Phoenix, stacking up four top-fives in his last four starts with two runner-up finishes. He has also led the most laps at Phoenix in the next-gen car ahead of Kyle Larson.

Hence, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver believes the Blaney will be a serious threat this weekend.

"I am excited to get there, I know it's gonna be a tough battle. Ryan [Blaney] is.. whatever their team has found in the last two and half months, they have done a really good job," Kyle Larson told SiriusXM radio.

"They have been probably the best team here lately. So they will be really tough to beat, as well as Christopher [Bell] and William [Byron]. It's gonna be fun," he added.

Ryan Blaney is carrying Team Penkse's title hopes this season and is looking to emulate his teammate Joey Logano's title-winning campaign last season. After going unnoticed in the regular season, the #12 Ford team have won two races in the last five rounds to give Blaney a shot at the title on his favorite track.

The 312-mile NASCAR Cup Series championship race will be the ultimate showdown between the championship contenders.

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NASCAR analyst gives his take on Kyle Larson's chances of winning second title

Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte reckons Kyle Larson has the upper hand over the rest of the championship contenders. Making an appearance on NASCAR's Inside the Race, Letarte said:

“They’re the fastest. They’ve been the fastest all year long. They have ‘only’ won four races this season, and I could say only because they’ve been the fastest car in 10, 11, 12 of the races.”

While Kyle Larson has led the most laps this season, he also tops the charts for most DNFs this season, crashing out of the lead on multiple occasions.

Apart from the raw pace, the 2021 Cup Series champion is backed by a consistently quick pit crew which played a crucial role in winning his first title.

“The other thing I have for him is that he has a good pit crew with firepower. I don’t think they make a lot of mistakes and they have game-changing ability. That’s how he won Vegas, that is a big contributor to the championship he won last time,” Letarte added.

Catch the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at 3:00 pm ET this Sunday, November 5.