Kyle Larson heads to Martinsville looking for 7th win of season to have shot at NASCAR title

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There’s a tradition at Hendrick Motorsports in which a driver celebrates a win with a victory bell that he takes all over the motorsports campus so that every employee who contributed to the win gets a chance to give it a ring.

Kyle Larson did the ceremony for his dominating Bristol Motor Speedway victory on an recent fall day. He joined crew chief Cliff Daniels and Jeff Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, as employees lined up in the fabrication shop, then the engine department and finally the gift shop to pull the long string and make the bell clang once again for Larson.

The bell stopping in the merchandise store was an audible — there was coincidentally a Hendrick Automotive Group leadership summit going on in another building on the sprawling campus — and when Gordon saw young fans shopping he called them up to ring the bell, as well.

The trio then headed to the leadership summit, where all they were briefed on was to give a quick talk about the importance of communication to several hundred dealership executives. Larson received a standing ovation when he entered the vast auditorium, and one executive even rose to his feet and double-fisted loudly clanged a pair of smaller bells placed on the table.

That ceremony was for the 22nd victory since Larson joined Hendrick in 2021, and he added another one four days later when he won at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As the trio sat in director chairs in front of the crowd, Gordon noted even though Larson had only been with the team four seasons, he couldn't remember a time Larson didn't drive for Hendrick.

That's how quickly Larson found a second home after seven-plus seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing, which pulled him out of sprint car racing and gave him a chance in NASCAR. Larson was fired in the early days of the pandemic when racers turned to iRacing to entertain fans and Larson used a racial slur during a late-night session.

Ganassi didn't want to lose his budding superstar, but sponsor pressure to cut ties prevailed and Larson was suspended by NASCAR for the remainder of the season. Once reinstated, Rick Hendrick snapped him up, paired him with Daniels on the No. 5 Chevrolet and the team has never looked back.

They smashed all sorts of records in their first season with 10 victories and Larson's first championship. It's the communication and Daniels' no-nonsense approach — he's wired as intensely as Hendrick's Hall of Fame crew chief Chad Knaus, who led Jimmie Johnson to a record-tying seven titles — that has made this such a winning pairing.

“For us, just like any relationship, it always evolves. I’ve been very thankful for the opportunity to be with Kyle, to be in this position with the 5 team,” Daniels said. "There are so many core values that we hold true to our team of taking care of each other, having the relationship, having the communication really across the team.

“Of course, it has to be with me and Kyle and race day as well and trusting each other to do our jobs in the moment and to make calls and to know that we’re going to have to ride some ups and downs together.”

And now Larson and Daniels find themselves fighting to save their season despite a Cup-leading six wins. Hendrick Motorsports initially placed all four of its cars in the round of eight — Alex Bowman was disqualified for failing post-race inspection in the Charlotte elimination race won by Larson — but the three who advanced have yet to earn a spot in next week's winner-take-all title-deciding finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Larson may need another victory, and another bell-ringing ceremony, to race for a second title. Joey Logano, the driver who took Bowman's spot in the round of eight, and Tyler Reddick have earned two of the berths. Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing and Larson teammate William Byron head to Martinsville Speedway above the cutline to qualify for the remaining two slots.

Larson goes to Martinsville below the cutline, seven points behind Byron. He and Byron both made the final four last year but were beaten by Ryan Blaney, and Larson was runner-up in the standings.

He doesn't exactly need to win Sunday in Virginia to advance, but it is his only guaranteed path. Larson would need misfortune to plague either Bell or Byron to advance without winning the race.

It's been a roller-coaster season for Larson despite the six wins: Larson has finished 30th or worse six times, has not had more than two consecutive top-10 finishes this season, and lost the regular season championship by one point after missing the Coca-Cola 600 when rain disrupted his day at the Indianapolis 500.

But in the playoffs, he's won the elimination race in each of the first two rounds.

“I’m proud of our team for how we’ve rebounded through so much adversity throughout these playoffs,” Larson said. “I think there probably hasn’t been a team that’s dealt with as much as we have and been able to still be in the hunt to make the final four.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing