Editor‘s note: This is the first in a series of four stories examining why each Championship 4 driver could win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Tuesday: Kyle Larson
Wednesday: Christopher Bell
Thursday: William Byron
Friday: Ryan Blaney
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Kyle Larson will win the 2023 championship because …
Cooler heads prevail when chasing the NASCAR Cup Series title.
Kyle Larson proved himself as a championship favorite by winning two races in the 2023 playoffs, both opening-round wins (Round of 16 at Darlington Raceway, Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway). With his win at Las Vegas, Larson was the first driver to lock himself into the Championship 4, and with that, basically earned a two-week opportunity to focus on the season’s final race at Phoenix Raceway.
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Larson intends to replicate his dominant performance at Phoenix earlier this year, where he led for an impressive 201 of 317 laps and finished in fourth place.
“I’ll study that a lot in case I’m in that position again and try to do a better job going forward,” Larson said. “But, yes, Phoenix is a great track for us. Short tracks, in general, have been our strong suit this year. We’d love to go to Phoenix and have a great car again.”
In 2023, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver has two wins and one runner-up finish in short-track races in the Cup Series. Larson additionally won the All-Star Race in dominant fashion during the series‘ historic return to the 0.625-mile track of North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Heading into the season finale, Larson is the only driver out of the Championship 4 to have won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, coming with his victory to cap the 2021 season in Phoenix. He did so on the strength of his final pit stop in which his team serviced his car and sent him off pit road first — the majority of that team returns intact this weekend.
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When it comes to the 2023 Cup Series Championship, Kyle Larson is as laser-focused as they come.
Key stats: 4 wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s, avg. finish of 15.0
Championship 4 history: This is Kyle Larson’s second Championship 4 appearance. He has one championship (2021).
Defining 2023 moment: Winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to lock into the Championship 4.
Watch out for: Late restarts — Larson was dominant at Phoenix in the spring, but a late restart caught him off guard and relegated him to fourth. With a championship on the line, anything can happen in the closing laps.
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