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Kyle Larson Says Hendrick Motorsports Teammate Alex Bowman Simply Had a Better Car in COTA
After winning his home race in Fontana, Hendrick Motorsports’ maverick Kyle Larson hasn’t really built on that momentum. In fact, the last few races have been disappointing by his own high standards.
The most recent of which was the first road course race of the season at Circuit Of The Americas.
The past weekend in Austin was like a mixed bag for the defending Cup champion. In fact, Larson believes there were half a dozen cars that were faster than him, including his own teammate, Alex Bowman.
“I was pleased with the adjustments our team was able to make overnight. We were not good on Saturday, not good at all in practice. It kinda went, kinda the extreme other direction in qualifying,” Larson said on NASCAR Live podcast. “But like I said, they made some good changes for the race on Sunday and I felt like we were competitive.”
However, despite being competitive, the No.5 driver claimed they “never really got to show for it.”
“I don’t think we were quite as good as Ross (Chastain), (AJ) Allmendinger, (No.) 8 car, maybe (Alex) Bowman as well.”
Feb 16, 2022; Daytona, FL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (right) qualifies first and NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (left) qualifies second for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Larson remains optimistic about Hendrick despite recent string of poor results
The defending Cup champion admitted that his car was “fifth to seventh” when it comes to pure speed.
“I just did a really bad job on all the restarts, and whatever track position I would have, I would make it worse,” Larson said. “Then you let your frustrations kinda rise, then (you) start making mistakes.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, waits on the track prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Yet Kyle Larson remains optimistic, as he looks forward to getting better.
“Three bad results in a row, but I feel like our team is close, we’re really close, I feel like we are not far off from being really fast,” he said. “Just gotta keep working hard and keep digging out from the deep to try and get better.”
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