Kyle Larson makes a critical admission about Martinsville despite it being HMS’s ‘best track’

Hendrick Motorsports ace Kyle Larson was featured in a media day interview ahead of the practice and qualifying sessions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. During the interview, Larson opened up about the team's "statistically best track."

The 32-year-old professional stock car racing driver debuted in the Cup Series in 2013 with Phoenix Racing. He then secured a full-time seat in 2014 with Chip Ganassi Racing and competed for seven seasons with the team. Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 and won the Cup Series title in his debut season with the team.

During the interview, the reporter questioned Larson about Phoenix's struggles and concerns regarding Martinsville Speedway. The 0.526-mile asphalt track is Hendrick Motorsports' "best track." The team has 29 wins at the Ridgeway, Virginia-based venue. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and four-time champion Jeff Gordon both have nine wins there.

NextGen driver Larson also captured a win on the track in 2023. However, he voiced some concerns regarding the track:

"I don't know. I would say as a team and organization, we're much better at Martinsville than we are at Phoenix. So, yeah, we had hopes of being better than we were at Phoenix across the board, you know, the four of us.

"William (Byron) was pretty decent, but the rest of us were pretty average. I feel like when we go to Martinsville, we have a package we can look back on and build our car off of, making us competitive. So, I don't have as much concern going to Martinsville as I do about Phoenix right now. But Martinsville is Martinsville, and it’s still a tough track for me, even though it's crazy to think that it's probably our statistically best track on this circuit," he added, via Speedwaydigest.com.

In comparison to Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Larson has a solid record at Las Vegas Speedway. The #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver has secured three wins at the 1.5-mile asphalt track, winning last year's event while leading an astonishing 181 laps.

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“It doesn’t bother me; it just gets annoying”: Kyle Larson expressed his opinion on Christopher Bell's attempt to achieve Jimmie Johnson's record

Winning four consecutive races is no easy task in stock car racing. Only a select few have accomplished this feat in the sport's history, including Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, and Richard Petty. Petty also holds the record for the most consecutive wins in the series, triumphing in ten races in a row.

The HMS ace achieved this feat in 2021, and now his rival, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell, is on the verge of tying the record. Bell has won three consecutive races, and if he wins Sunday's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, he will etch his name in the sport's history.

During a recent press conference at LVMS, a reporter asked Larson if his rival should be stopped. The #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver stated:

“I mean, I had a great season in 2021 and was able to win three points-paying races in a row twice that year, four in a row once, you know, with the All-Star Race in there... so having gone through it myself, I can respect it a lot more. It doesn't bother me; I see somebody else having success like that.

“If he wins this weekend, maybe it's like, alright, it's getting annoying,” he concluded.

Christopher Bell qualified 13th for the race scheduled for March 16, 2025, with a top speed of 186.310 mph and a best time of 28.984 seconds. Meanwhile, the 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson sits three spots above Bell in tenth place. Additionally, Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell won his first pole position of the 2025 season.