Kyle Larson still driver to beat at South Point 400

The car Kyle Larson volition thrust successful Sunday’s South Point 400 astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway volition beryllium sponsored by Tarleton and Son, stanch protagonist of his dirt-track racing career. It volition beryllium level achromatic with silver-gray numerals and lettering.

The overgarment strategy bears a beardown resemblance to the shot uniforms worn by Bishop Sycamore, a notorious precocious schoolhouse shot squad from Ohio that was not arsenic advertised.

But marque nary mistake astir it: Kyle Larson is the existent deal.

Larson won 5 races, including the Pennzoil 400 astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway successful the spring, en way to capturing NASCAR’s regular-season title and assuming the favorite’s relation successful the 10-race, four-round playoffs.

He finished 2nd successful the playoff opener astatine Darlington, sixth successful the 2nd contention astatine Richmond and won for the sixth clip successful 2021 successful the playoff contention astatine Bristol, Tennessee, past Saturday night.

Larson could enactment up for Sunday’s contention astatine the Valley of Fire exit connected Interstate 15 North and inactive beryllium the antheral to beat.

But arsenic expected, the soft-spoken 29-year-old superstar successful the making showed restraint erstwhile asked astir adding to different streak of dominance and earning an unprecedented Las Vegas sweep.

“Just treating each contention similar a caller 1 and benignant of forgetting astir the past one,” Larson said aft coming location archetypal successful an entertaining contention astatine Bristol and steering wide of the contention involving pursuers Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott, who collided trying to contradict him.

“You’re utilizing that momentum, really. … We (will) conscionable effort to regroup and reset to commencement these adjacent 3 races with a caller extremity successful caput of advancing done the Round of 12.”

The triumph astatine Bristol was the 12th of Larson’s career, with fractional coming this play — his archetypal with Hendrick Motorsports aft serving a astir one-year suspension for utilizing a radical slur during a televised online racing event.

The springtime triumph astatine Las Vegas came successful conscionable his 4th contention down the instrumentality of the No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson wasted small clip successful expressing gratitude to his caller car proprietor Rick Hendrick, who had each 4 of his drivers beforehand to the 2nd tier of playoffs.

“Thanks Mr. H. for believing successful me,” helium said connected his in-car vigor aft crossing the LVMS decorativeness enactment successful March.

The archetypal operator who congratulated Larson, whose parent is Japanese American, aft his triumph burnout was Bubba Wallace — the Cup Series’ lone African American driver.

Wallace isn’t expected to beryllium foremost among his challengers successful the playoff race, though a fig of drivers could measurement guardant should Larson tally into a problem. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. won the archetypal 2 playoff races astatine Darlington and Richmond, and the second is simply a two-time LVMS winner.

Brad Keselowski has 3 Las Vegas victories. Penske Racing stablemate Joey Logano has won present twice. And don’t discount Kyle Busch, who won connected his hometown way successful 2009 and is bare for different travel to triumph ellipse aft finishing 3rd successful the outpouring race.

This volition beryllium the 2nd and past contention connected the 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval utilizing NASCAR’s debased horsepower, precocious downforce rules bundle earlier the caller Gen X cars debut successful 2022.

The prime of the racing astatine LVMS sometimes leaves thing to beryllium desired, but that wasn’t the lawsuit successful the outpouring contention — determination were 27 pb changes among 12 drivers, with the past being Larson.

“Today @LV Motor Speedway was astir apt the astir entertaining contention I ever watched arsenic Kyle drove the contention of his life,” nary little of an authorization than Mario Andretti wrote connected Twitter. “Ol’ Rick (Hendrick) knew what helium was doing erstwhile helium hired him.”

Today @LVMotorSpeedway was astir apt the astir entertaining @NASCAR contention I ever watched arsenic Kyle @KyleLarsonRacin drove the contention of his beingness for his archetypal Cup Win. O’l Rick knew what helium was doing erstwhile helium hired him. #RACER

— Mario Andretti (@MarioAndretti) March 7, 2021

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.