After three-straight wins and an, overall, nine wins in the first 34 races of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Kyle Larson starts on the pole Sunday at Martinsville Speedway for the Xfinity 500, the penultimate race of the season.
“Martinsville has been a really tough track for me in the past,” Larson said. “Earlier this year, we were really good there in Hendrick [Motorsports] equipment, and I was able to run top-five. That run helped my confidence a lot. I think if we can go there and have another good run and, heck, if we can get a win there, yes, I’ll be feeling great going to Phoenix.”
The eight remaining playoff drivers vying for championship four berths for the Nov. 7 season-finale at Phoenix Raceway start in the first eight, or first four rows, of the Martinsville starting grid, and the first three of those rows are occupied by pairs of teammates. Larson shares the front row with Hendrick Motorsports teammate and reigning Cup Series champion Chase Elliott.
“I really think anyone in this round can win this weekend,” Elliott said. “So we are really going to have to be on it, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity and excited for the challenge.”
Elliott is the defending winner of the Xfinity 500.
The winner of the other three of the four most recent races at Martinsville is Martin Truex Jr. He starts fourth Sunday, next to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and five-time Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin, who starts third.
“I’m confident in our chances at Martinsville,” Hamlin said. “We’ve been very strong at these types of race tracks, and I’ll think we’ll have a really good FedEx Toyota when we go there. We want to battle for a win, because if we’re in the battle for a win, we’ll be fine no matter where we finish.”
The Team Penske duo of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski line up in row three, with teammate Ryan Blaney behind them in row four in the seventh position. Blaney shares that row with Kyle Busch, the farthest back starter among the eight playoff drivers.
Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, two drivers already eliminated from championship contention, start in row five in the ninth and 10th positions at Martinsville on Sunday.
“You have eight guys who are left racing for a championship. You’ve got guys that want to win races and you’ve got guys who just want to have a good finish, so there are a number of different agendas that, really, we’re dealing with all the way through the playoffs,” Harvick said.
