NASCAR's Larson aims to end 23-race losing streak, faces Briscoe, Byron and Hamlin for title

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Larson is stuck in a 23-race NASCAR losing streak and really hasn’t done much better in his sprint car, either.

AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Larson is stuck in a 23-race NASCAR losing streak and really hasn’t done much better in his sprint car, either. His momentum hit a wall after his failed second attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Larson crashed and failed to finish both races in a demoralizing hit he didn’t realize he’d carry for so many months. He has never experienced a slump like this, even when he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing and only won six races.

“Even when I was not ever winning, I could still go to sprint car racing and win and that would keep your confidence in yourself that you can do it,” Larson said. “This year when they both took a dip, you’re like ‘Man this sucks’ and like ‘How am I going to get out of this?’ and ‘Like, is it me?’ ‘Is is the cars?’ ‘Is is the bad luck?’

“You’re just down, searching for answers and sticking through it. Then it slowly started turning around, maybe not as quickly as I would like, but quietly we were getting better and now the NASCAR stuff? We’re peaking at the right time.”

Larson will race Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe on Sunday in NASCAR’s winner-take-all championship finale. He’s the only driver in the final four with a championship, the one he won in 2021, his first season at Hendrick.