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Kyle Larson Earns an Emotional Win at Martinsville

Image: Tim Parks/HHP

Throughout his entire career, there has been one track that Kyle Larson could not figure out. That track is NASCAR’s oldest short track, Martinsville. Ever since Larson came into the Cup Series full-time in 2014, he has considered Martinsville to be his worst track. He has always said that Martinsville doesn’t fit his racing style. For years, there have been three things that are always certain when it comes to racing at Martinsville. The hot dogs will always be two dollars, the winner will get a grandfather clock, and Kyle Larson will have bad luck. But this time around, things would be different for Larson at his worst track.

Why is this win so special to Larson?

This win isn’t exclusively special to just Larson, it’s special to the entire Hendrick family. Much like his win at Richmond two weeks ago, this win is special for Hendrick Motorsports. Martinsville is the track that gave Rick Hendrick his first win as a team owner with Geoff Bodine in the #5 car. Martinsville is also the area that took Hendrick’s son and many family members from him in a plane crash in 2004.  After a great pit call from crew chief, Cliff Daniels, Larson was able to get the lead from Joey Logano with 29 laps to go. After Larson passed Logano for the lead, Larson never looked back. It took 17 tries for Larson, but he finally got a grandfather clock for winning at Martinsville. This win for Larson is the 21st of his career and the first win at Martinsville for him.

This win this past Sunday at Martinsville is the 28th win at Martinsville for Hendrick Motorsports, the most all-time. Martinsville has given so much to Rick Hendrick but has taken much from him as well. Hendrick Motorsports now has a winning percentage of 35% at Martinsville, which is unheard of in the modern NASCAR era. And now, as Hendrick Motorsports is going for their 300th win as a team, Larson has brought them one step closer to that goal. This win this past Sunday was the 295th victory for Hendrick Motorsports, the most of all time. This win just might be a little sweeter for Rick Hendrick seeing his son’s paint scheme in victory lane at Martinsville.

How did the new aero package handle at Martinsville?

After Richmond, fans were very hopeful that Martinsville was going to be a step up after the abysmal racing that took place last season. Unfortunately, even the new aero package could not produce a great race at Martinsville. However, for most of the day, the weather was very overcast with a chance of rain. When the track was fully bathed in sunlight, there was some great racing going on. The main issue with these poor races at Martinsville is the next-gen car. Several issues must be addressed in the offseason, but that is almost seven months away. But as NASCAR departs from the shortest oval in the regular season, they head south towards Alabama for their biggest oval.

What to expect from Talladega:

Ever since Talladega Superspeedway debuted in 1969, this has been the one track where drivers might show the tiniest bit of fear when racing at. Why do they show fear? Because of the inevitable big accidents that happen at Talladega. The easiest way to describe Talladega is that there will inevitably be chaos taking place. There is also the likelihood of a first-time winner on the season at Talladega. A safe pick for Talladega is Bubba Wallace. Talladega is where Wallace earned his first career victory. This race this coming weekend could be a good shot for the underdogs to punch their ticket into victory lane, as well as the playoffs.

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