NASCAR CUP SERIES: TOYOTA OWNERS 400

April 2, 2023

Kyle Larson

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by tonight's race winner, Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Once again, we'll open it up for questions.

Q. You've had a couple of wins slip away this year. After you had that damage from with the contact with Suarez, did you think, oh, this is another one of those days?

KYLE LARSON: I wouldn't say that ever crept into my mind. I was just kind of hoping and praying that the damage was the reason why it got slow.

Obviously, couldn't see the damage. Still haven't seen how it was dented, but I was definitely a lot slower then. So I was hoping once we got to the end of the second stage that they could fix it and then that our car would go back to normal because I was surprised at how bad I was after that.

So I felt like before that pit stop we were going to cruise to a stage two win and then I kind of fell apart there. So I was just mad at the situation and mad at just not knowing if it was the damage why I was bad or if the track had gone through transition and we were going to be average the rest of the race.

But thankfully that wasn't the case, and we were able to get refocused there to start the third stage and inch our way forward and then have some things work out for us, cautions work out at the right time, and our pit crew executed a great pit stop at the last one.

Q. Talk about kind of that frustration, how did you overcome it, and then the impact of Hendrick Motorsports in your career.

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I feel like a lot of the races -- even looking at last week. My race was going good in the beginning, and then one small mishap turned into me trying too hard, and I made a lot more mistakes and kind of hurt our day going forward.

So when I was going backwards in the second stage and mad, I just needed a caution to take a break and then tell myself just to not overreact and just we still have 170-something laps left or whatever it was. It's plenty of time to get back to the front. So our car was good enough to do that too.

Then, yeah, the impact of Hendrick Motorsports has been amazing for my career obviously. I've won a lot of races with them and a championship in 2021. It's Ricky Hendrick's birthday today. That I learned about as well.

Just a great day all around for Hendrick Motorsports. Great week especially. So, yeah, a lot of significance to this week, and I'll probably remember it now for a long time.

Q. Kyle, after the incident, what did the car feel like? Was it noticeably different from the damage?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah. Typically when you leave from a green flag stop, it feels different because there's rubber on the track and all that. So I took off when the green flag stopped, and I was, like, okay, my car is driving different than it did to start this run.

I didn't think that I hit Suarez that hard. It didn't feel that hard from my seat. So I am, like, okay, it's whatever. I was, like, man, I'm not good.

I was really tight loading into the corner. Snapped loose off. Lap cars were driving by me. I was just, like, man, is this the track change or -- and then they told me the damage. And, yeah, there was just nothing I could do to manage what I was fighting.

I think when I was tight in the center, it just pissed off my exit and my rear tires. And I was really, really bad, really lacking traction that run. I was just shocked that the damage did that much to me.

But thankfully it was in an area where they could pop it back out, and our car drove fine after that.

Q. What about Ricky's birthday and the paint scheme and all that? Is it an extra special thing for you to have all that come together?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, for sure. No, it definitely is. Me racing this 5 car has been special, but especially this paint scheme.

I was watching just flipping through old YouTube videos this week of my 2021 season so I could remind myself that I used to be good (smiling), but I didn't realize after watching it that Vegas was my first win with Hendrick, and that was my first race with that paint scheme and the colors that year.

Kansas later on that year was -- I think it was 17 years to the date of the accident and then now this, winning on his birthday. It's all really special and kind of crazy kind of how things maybe work out from the power above. Things work out that way.

So pretty special for sure. There's a couple of other birthdays on our team also. You know, my jackman, he turned 30 today. My spotter turned 30 today. So just a special day all around. Looking forward to celebrating with them.

Q. What were your thoughts about the new short track package, and what do you think we can expect when we get back on the pavement at Martinsville?

KYLE LARSON: So I thought things felt more normal to the previous model car. I felt like -- last year here at Richmond you could follow somebody down to the bottom, and you would just get so tight. Even if they missed the bottom a little bit in front of you, you would get tight.

But today seemed like normal. Like you could wrap the paint. If somebody missed the bottom in front of you, you could throttle up and get to their back bumper.

So I just didn't feel as affected behind people in traffic. I was pleased with that. It seemed like there was more passing. It seemed like there was a little more coming and going compared to last year's races.

I'm curious what other drivers think, but I thought it was an improvement. I thought it was an improvement at Phoenix, but I thought it was even more of an improvement compared to the racing we had here last year for this race.

So, yeah, I was happy about that.

Q. So it seems like your close competition pretty much throughout the day were the JGR Toyotas. Were you kind of expecting them to be your closest competition, and how did the Hendrick Chevys compare to the JGR Toyotas throughout the race?

KYLE LARSON: Always when you come to Richmond, you know that the Gibbs cars are going to be the ones to beat. They just have a package, I guess, for this track.

So I knew -- at least I thought going into the race -- you know, you don't know without practice, but I thought going into the race that they were going to be the tough ones.

When I was going backwards at the end of that second stage, a lot of the cars passing me were Gibbs cars. So I was, like, okay, they're really good.

I could see them kind of chewing up on Williams' lead in front of me and then ultimately passing him, too. So, yeah, they were probably still better than we were today.

But, you know, this has historically been a really bad track for Hendrick, too. So to have all of us run up front majority of the day, come away with a one-two finish, lead as many laps as we did between William and I, it was the best day I think Hendrick has had at Richmond in decades probably.

So proud of the effort and really, really proud of how we've been as a whole organization at every racetrack so far this season.

Q. I found it funny that you said that you watched your highlights from your championship season to prove that you were quote, unquote good or at a time...

KYLE LARSON: Remind myself. Not prove.

Q. Sorry. Remind yourself. Can you expound on that? Why did you do it? What did you learn, et cetera?

KYLE LARSON: I don't know. Just trying to -- I don't know. I was just bored at night the other night.

But it was a great season, and just kind of listening to even post-race interviews and kind of where my mindset was at then when I was winning a lot just to kind of compare to what I think I'm like maybe right now.

The Next Gen stuff, it's so up and down. It's easy to -- obviously 2021 was so strong. We were just riding a high kind of all season. Expectations were high. Execution was great. Results were amazing.

Whereas since we've gone to the Next Gen car, it's hard to get your confidence up. Yeah, I just really wanted to look at old tape of myself and just kind of see where my mindset was and see my confidence and, yeah, just do all that.

So I don't think it mattered for the race today, but just to, I don't know, kind of reset your mindset a little bit.

Q. Today you talked about the odds for the most part were against a good finish here today at Richmond for Hendrick Motorsports even though you all really had a great day. But having won today and then going to a track where for the most part it fits your driving style. I heard your name mentioned in different venues today as a favorite going to Bristol. What does that do for you going to Bristol, especially going in as a favorite?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I could have ran last in every single race leading into Bristol, and the media is probably going to point to me as being the favorite anyway at Bristol just because it's a dirt track.

So I don't know. It does not matter to me. I know that we're going to be good at every racetrack, so that's promising.

But, yeah, it is so different than the dirt racing that I do during the week. These heavy stock cars drive nothing like even a dirt late model that's 2,400 pounds.

Yes, I maybe can read a track better than people, but now this is our third year on it. So I think everybody has kind of got a good idea of what to look for.

I feel like the track prep crew does a good job of making things consistent throughout the years, but the weekend especially. So, yeah, I think it's going to be at least in the two races that we've ran there, your same guys that run up front here today will probably be up front at Bristol next week, too.

So I think we'll be -- because we've been a lot better at all these racetracks so far this year, I think we'll be better than what we were there last year. We weren't great. We were good when the track had grip. Not great when it got slick. I'm sure we've learned from it and will hopefully be better going back.

Q. Obviously you get the points back this week. You get the victory. How does this change your outlook for the rest of the season?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don't know. It doesn't really change my outlook for the rest of the season. I felt like, yes, we got hit with 100 points and all that, but I felt like our race car is really fast all year long.

So I knew we were going to have many opportunities to win. Yeah, we were just able to do that today, and I know we're going to have more opportunities going forward. It really doesn't -- nothing has changed my confidence I guess going into -- sorry, I saw my buddy. I was checking that out.

Yeah, I don't know. Just try to keep executing.

Q. In those last couple of restarts you've raced Josh there for the win. In these last couple of weeks that he has been in the 9 car and he has been in the shop, what have you seen out of him in terms of his growth?

KYLE LARSON: Well, he's an extremely good race car driver and a great short track racer. So I think -- it's hard for me to follow along when I'm out there racing, but I think due to their track position that they had throughout the race, they were on a totally different strategy there at the end just hoping to catch a caution. That's ultimately what happened.

Their team did a great job on pit road, and he came out second. Me being the leader, I was nervous because I hadn't been around him all day. I know he is a super good short track racer. So, yeah, I knew it was going to be tough.

Thankfully we got clear of him, but he has done a phenomenal job filling in. It's been nice to have him a part of the debriefs. I feel like he describes his car really well. He seems like he is probably really easy to work with. I'm sure the 9 team probably feels he is easy to work with.

I've enjoyed having him a part of our team throughout Chase's injury. I hope whenever Chase comes back that Josh gets more opportunity going forward and good equipment because he is a Cup Series caliber driver. He has proven it just in the few races that he has ran.

He is very, very deserving of being in the Cup Series, and he has worked extremely hard his whole career to get these opportunities.

Q. We've kind of gotten used to you being the guy over the years where you are the first to go to the wall, run the top lane. It seemed like the package or tires, something, let it kind of -- the racing groove extend a little bit here, but there's only a couple of guys really running up against the wall, and they weren't winning. What more do you think it needed for that to be a preferable line?

KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, if your car is good, you don't need to go up there. The guys who are up there, it's because their cars were really bad.

I think early in the race the 47 was going really good. It was kind of unfortunate to see him have his, I guess, brake issues because he was making the top work before that competition caution. Then after that you could tell he had brake issues.

But who knows? Maybe had he been towards the front and showing speed up there, it would have drug others up there. Usually Richmond is like that. Richmond especially after it rains and stuff that first run, you'll just kind of -- the majority of the people run around the bottom like where you should be at Richmond.

You drag and just run until the rubber gets to the wall, and then everybody comes back down. It's just a product of this racetrack I think.

There's only been one Richmond race -- I can't remember what year, but where I remember running the wall. Again, I don't want to run the wall at any track. I just feel like if my car is not handling how I want it on the bottom, I have to find speed elsewhere.

But if your car is good, you just stay glued to the bottom.

Q. When you're battling Josh Berry there on a late restart, somebody that I assume you haven't really raced against a whole lot, is there any question in your mind that you don't know what he is going to do?

KYLE LARSON: Sure. I mean, as far as like aggression? No, I didn't think of that.

But, I could tell that first restart he -- and myself both. That was the first time I restarted on the front row on the inside. We both kind of under-drove, one, and I got clear of him pretty easy. So we got that quick caution. I was, like, dang, now he knows how much further he can run the corner and all that. He did a much better job that second time, and I had to work a lot harder to get clear of him off of two.

So I was more just thinking about one and two, how are we going to get through there and if he is on my right side, he probably has a pretty good idea how to pass people because he has been in traffic the whole race.

Thankfully it worked out where I got clear and could kind of just manage my stuff and take care of my tires in case we had another caution.