1-point. That’s how close Kyle Larson and his newest rival, Christopher Bell, are. Bell, who sits above the No. 5 driver, has the same goal: to beat his immediate rival to secure a spot in the Championship 4. With just two spots remaining, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is already sounding off on his plans to oust Larson.

But Larson’s crew chief is ready to play the white knight for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Having won the 2021 championship together, Cliff Daniels knows exactly how to handle this pressure. But with Christopher Bell standing in their way, Daniels zeros in on the possibilities.

Cliff Daniels focuses on guiding Larson into the Championship 4

Speaking to Bob Pockrass ahead of the Martinsville race, Cliff Daniels backed his driver, saying, “We’ve looked at that from both different angles of what would it look like to do that and what would it look like not to do that and you know, ultimately, I think there’s a scenario where us and Bell would probably end up being very similar to each other and what that could look like unless there is some big disparity in our running positions and I think that alone was dictated in the moment.”

While weighing on several possible scenarios, Daniels added, “If we’re really close on track, we may end up matching each other and then if we’re not then either of us could end up doing something different. So we’ve looked at it both ways and ultimately we’ve got to make the right decision in the moment.”

The 33-year-old could have secured his Championship 4 spot last weekend at Talladega itself, but instead, he needs to face the wrath of Christopher Bell‘s threat. The No. 20 driver is a formidable force at Martinsville, having won at the short track in 2022. He even led 25 laps at the ‘Paperclip’ earlier this year, before ending up in second place. This means that Larson can’t afford any mishaps at the Xfinity 500, especially a fuel miscalculation like last week at Talladega, which forced him to settle for 26th, despite running up front in the final few laps.

Cliff Daniels has acknowledged the miscommunication regarding fuel expectations and expressed his disappointment over the outcome. Looking to make a turnaround from last weekend’s fuel mishap, Daniels and Larson will work together to win at Martinsville.

But not so easily. Bell has certainly set his gaze on Larson. He said, “I think it just makes our job, like the 20 car’s job, a little bit easier because we don’t have to, you know, focus on very many other competitors other than, you know, Kyle and what he’s doing, how many points he’s got, stuff like that. So yeah, it’s when this race is very unique because it’s under, you know, only very rare circumstances that you single out a couple of people.” And as he hopes this tactical plan works out, the No. 5 driver isn’t going to give up without a fight.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that Martinsville favors Larson. The HMS driver has placed in the top six in each of his last six Martinsville outings, with a fifth in the spring race and a third in last year’s playoff event, making it reasonable to anticipate another strong showing this year. However, the one-point gap doesn’t faze the Elk Grove native.

Kyle Larson rejects the must-win position

The equation at Martinsville is razor-thin. If a driver from below the cut line pulls off a win, only one of the frontrunners will advance. But if Kyle Larson or Christopher Bell manages to take the checkered flag with the other close behind, both could round out the remaining spots of the Championship 4.

But Larson doesn’t see this as a do-or-die scenario. Laying out an approach for the weekend, he said, “I mean, you’re always going to go for a win if it’s in front of you. So, I don’t think that changes, but I think just you keeping an eye on you what’s going on with Bell and I throughout the night is equally as important, because if I can score more points than him, I don’t have to rely on a win. So, we’ll see. It’ll be exciting.”

The math doesn’t rattle him. His focus is simply on staying ahead of Bell and ideally watching a Hendrick teammate in the No. 9 (Chase Elliott) or No. 24 (William Byron) grab the win. He reiterated, “But we’re not in a must-win. We’re not even in a must to score more points than him. But you know, I would like to pat ourselves.” With all this pushing the drivers forward and closer to the elimination round, Sunday’s Martinsville showdown definitely promises a fierce head-to-head for the final spot before Phoenix.