“It’s as tough of a two months that I can remember having, even before (joining) Hendrick.” This is how Kyle Larson described the struggles he faced leading up to Dover. The double attempt really did a number on him. The infamous slump seemed never-ending. But now the slump has done a 180 and has finally started to thaw.

After launching from P25 and battling his way to a fourth-place finish at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400, the wheelman has his momentum back, and he has already turned his focus to the Brickyard 400.

Kyle Larson opens up about his plan to conquer Indy

Larson’s Dover performance was nothing short of a comeback tour. After qualifying deep in the field at P25, he methodically climbed through the back, settling into 10th by stage one and climbing to 5th by the end of stage two. When the checkered flag flew, he crossed the line in P4, just behind his teammate Alex Bowman. His late-race surge not only salvaged a weekend that started poorly but also earned him 40 valuable points that could prove decisive in the fight for the regular season championship.

Larson and his No. 5 team entered an uncharacteristic downturn following his growing, yet incomplete, double attempt in late May. A crash at the Indy500 followed by a wreck in Charlotte, and since that weekend, Larson has hit only one top five and seven races, with several finishes outside the top 10. That is definitely a contrast to his dominant start: three wins and eight top fives in the first 12 races of the season. The slump obscured just how strong he was early on, but the Dover results are proof of the team’s cohesion, and his speed is re-emerging.

When a sudden rain shower erased the rubber buildup on the track, Larson knew both joy and pain awaited. Speaking to Frontstretch post-race, Larson commented on his expectations of the Goodyear tire compound after the rain delay. He said, “Well, no. I mean, it was, balance-wise, kind of what I expected. I was just hopeful that, like tires wouldn’t be as close to the front as they got, you know, before that yellow. So when the 19 (Chase Briscoe) was lined up for it, I knew we were all in trouble. And yeah, Denny just did a really good job to hold him off. Hats off to him, that was impressive. So yeah, just a good run for us and I’m happy with that.” 

Chase Briscoe came home strong at Dover, starting from P2 and finishing 2nd to his teammate Denny Hamlin in a thrilling double overtime finish. He battled door-to-door with Hamlin on the final white flag lap and was narrowly edged out across the finish line by 0.310 seconds. It was a perfect performance from Briscoe, his first runner-up finish since winning at Pocono last month. And while Larson tried his best to contend at the top, his focus has quickly shifted toward redemption at Indianapolis.

When the Hendrick Motorsports driver was asked about his plan for the Brickyard 400 next weekend, Larson kept it simple. He said, “Yeah. Getting that speed back, we were talking about yesterday. I think we’ll have good speed there. So just, you know, hopefully get to qualify and hopefully qualify up front, and then just execute another good race like we did today.” 

Last July, Kyle Larson shocked the racing world by dominating the 2024 Brickyard 400, charging from P5, leading just seven laps but massively executing overtime starts to clinch his first-ever Brickyard win. That time came after his first Indy 500 appearance, where rain and misfortune hampered a potential double, a theme that struck again this year. Now, a year later, Larson is back at the speedway with a full season’s worth of focus and confidence that he can repeat the magic that earned him his first crown.

Moreover, Kyle Larson has maintained his P3 standing in the driver standings since his struggle, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott has dethroned now ex-points leader William Byron. Despite these three HMS drivers taking the headlines, the best HMS performer of the day was Alex Bowman!

Alex Bowman reveals why Dover is his favorite track

Alex Bowman’s affinity for Dover isn’t just nostalgia; it is a product of mentorship and mastery. Since taking over Jimmie Johnson’s iconic No. 48 Chevrolet ever since Johnson retired in 2021, Bowman has made the monster his personal proving ground. He has said that joining the team wasn’t smooth sailing at first. But he also went on to highlight just how pivotal Jimmie Johnson’s guidance has been.

Bowman said, “I always circle this place. I love this racetrack. I enjoy it. I learned a lot from being teammates with Jimmy here. I was pretty terrible until then, and I learned a lot from him. We went on a run where we didn’t finish outside the top five for forever, like until last year, really. Yeah, it’s been a good place for us.” Bowman has not only become comfortable at Dover but also become historically dominant. He has captured one win, five top-five finishes, six top-10 results, led 142 laps, and maintained an average finish of 17.1 in just six starts at this track since inheriting the No. 48.

This year, Alex added another strong result to that record with a well-timed and tactically sharp run. He started the Dover race from 16th position, surged for a strategic pit strategy end during a double overtime restart, and chose the bottom lane, clearing Kyle Larson to lock in P3 behind Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

Bowman’s performance reflected the consistency that has become his hallmark. Moreover, Bowman, who is now P9 in the standings, is yet to get a win to safely secure his place in the playoffs. With the Brickyard 400 coming up, Alex Bowman will have to put his head down to secure a win in any of the five races of the regular season left. While his points cushion looks good at the moment, sitting at +63, a few bad races could deter his hopes. Do you think Alex Bowman will make the playoffs? Will Kyle Larson redeem his ‘Double’ horrors next week? Let us know in the comments!