“We could win 20 races in a year and still not win!” Kyle Larson reveals how NASCAR playoff format enables Penske’s championship dominance
Kyle Larson shared his feelings about how the combination of playoff format helps Team Penske to dominate Next-Gen era.
Follow Us
Rick Hendrick and Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)
The 2024 NASCAR Cup season saw Joey Logano helping Team Penske Racing continue their championship domination, securing his third Bill France Cup. He peaked at the right moment during the playoff to secure the victory. His triumph created some controversy at it came at the expense of racers who were consistent in the regular season and had more wins.
One of the racers that came painfully close to winning the championship was Kyle Larson. He has been critical of the format and recently highlighted that when the title chase is just about winning the season finale, sometimes racers who had average season win the title. Larson joked that he might fail to lose the title even he didn’t win 20 races.
With the decision of no changes to the championship format, I figured good time to post this clip from our FOX production days last week … I asked Kyle Larson if he would take six wins a year even if he doesn't win another championship. This was his response: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/WqDRSQDtkC
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 28, 2025
The format is really difficult and when it comes down to just one race at the end, there’s an opportunity that it can happen. I think we could win 20 races in a year and still not win the championship…
Kyle Larson told Bob Pockrass.
Further talking about the point, he asserted that he expects the domination of Team Penske Racing continue owing to the advantage they have at Phoenix. So, if any changes are not made the Ford giants will always have the best shot at winning the finale.
I wouldn’t be surprised because the [Team Penske] cars are just so dominant at [Phoenix Raceway]. If nothing changes, I think, anytime a Penske car makes the Final 4 at Phoenix, they’re gonna have the best opportunity to win currently.
Kyle Larson added.
Kyle Larson explains how he got over 2024 disappointment
The No:5 team was the most consistent throughout the season, winning the most races than any other drivers. So, the lose of the opportunity to win a second title was really disappointing for him and he admitted that having already won the 2021 Cup title to get over it.
If I didn’t have a championship already, I would say no, I wouldn’t be good with that. I think having a championship already allowed me to get over it, more so, this past season.
Kyle Larson said.
The comments from Kyle Larson shows how much he dislikes the playoff format and how he sees himself missing out on winning title again in the future, if he fails to win the finale, despite being the best on the garage. It would be interesting to see if NASCAR would look into this and make necessary changes.
Stay Updated!
Justin P Joy
(4928 Articles Published)