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Larson in need of a breakthrough win at Bristol

Very seldom do drivers have a car that’s as hooked up as Kyle Larson was on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

Action Sports Photography

Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, crashed car
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

Larson led 200 laps in a race that was scheduled for 300 circuits. However, a late race caution forced the Xfinity Series race into overtime and Larson, who was better on long runs, lost him momentum in the closing laps.

Austin Dillon won but Larson benefitted for running in the under card. He earned a podium finish and his 33rd top-five results in 85 career NXS starts.

“There’s a few things I learned,” Larson said. “The top was similar to how it normally is here. It was faster in the race. Then it kind of gets gummed up in (turns) one and two and you slide around.

“The bottom, you could definitely run the bottom. When you got to lapped traffic, you didn’t really have to rely on slide jobs as much. You could just run the bottom the whole corner and clear the lappers. Kyle (Busch) was really good on the bottom. Austin Dillon, he surprised me there. That second to the last restart, he was able to pass a few cars down there. So the bottom’s definitely racy. I think in the Cup car it will be better, too because we have more horsepower and better gearing. So, we’ll be able to run the bottom a little bit better. I think the top was a little bit better (on Friday) than the bottom, but I think on (Saturday) the two lanes should be pretty similar because I think the top will get so much rubber it will slow down and the bottom will speed up.”

In need of a win

Larson is currently 15th in the standings. He has four top fives and seven top 10s. His best result was second at Dover International Speedway in May. But a win would secure the driver of the No. 42 Target Chevy into the Chase for the first time since Larson started running in Cup full-time in 2014.

In five Cup starts at Thunder Valley, Larson’s best result was seventh in the spring race last year. He believes honing his racing skills on short tracks in midgets and sprint cars will help him persevere on the half-mile track on Saturday night.

“At Bristol, open-wheel racing helps a bunch,” Larson said. “This place is so aggressive. You run the high line a lot so, it’s kind of like running the cushion. This one track — more than anywhere else — an open-wheel background helps the most.”

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