Kyle Larson has a trio of P3 finishes at Phoenix Raceway, and one of those helped him score his second Cup championship. On paper, the numbers suggest that the Hendrick Motorsports driver should feel comfortable returning to the Arizona oval. However, Larson has a very different assessment of the No. 5 Chevrolet’s chances at the track.
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Asked about the team’s performance at the track, Larson delivered a rather blunt verdict as he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in a short clip posted on X.
“No, we’re terrible,” he explained.
For Larson, strong finishes at the track have been the product of execution, strategy, and a willingness to fight through difficult situations, rather than having the fastest car in the field.
“I bet, you know, if you looked at average speed, we’re probably an 11th to 13th place car typically. And I feel like if you dropped us in 20th, that’s where we would run,” he added.
Larson has built a significant points advantage through consistent performances, but Phoenix could expose a weakness that his finishing record does not immediately reveal, which is crucial as we head into the final stages of the Chase.
In each of his last four Phoenix starts, Larson has finished inside the top five. Yet, he hasn’t led the most laps across those races. The No. 5 team has repeatedly found ways to secure strong results without consistently having the speed to control the race.
Larson credited that success to the people and decisions behind the car. His crew has been effective on pit road, while the team has made smart strategic calls, including when to take two tires. Restarts, blocking and the timing of cautions have also helped the Chevrolet move forward when its underlying pace has not been enough.
In other words, the finishes have not been accidental, but neither do they necessarily indicate that Larson is arriving at Phoenix with a race-winning car.
Then there’s also the question of how the track itself feels. Larson revealed that he had a conversation about Phoenix with crew chief Cliff Daniels, where he said he wanted Daniels to experience how it feels on the simulator.
“Phoenix is just such an awkward track,” he said. “I went in the sim a couple of days ago and ran some laps there, and it felt just as horrible as it does in real life. And I wasn’t saying this jokingly, but I was like, ‘Man, Cliff, I really want you to get into the sim just so you can feel how bad it is, and then maybe you will see how desperate that I am for grip.’”
His description of Turn 1 is specific: the car feels normal rolling in, then he cracks the throttle and drifts all the way around the corner with nothing to do about it. He doesn’t know if every car drives that badly and he just does it faster. What he does know is that it doesn’t suit his style or the current cars. After the March race he also suggested the updated 2026 Chevrolet body and the new rules package might need extra time to sort out.
The lack of grip also explains why the team simply cannot depend on outright pace, and has instead shown a heavy reliance on race strategy and execution. A driver can manage a difficult car for stretches of a race, but the challenge becomes much harder when rivals have a clear performance advantage.
Past results are no source of comfort either. Larson pointed to the team’s performance at St. Louis last year as an example of why recent form provides little reassurance.
“It doesn’t, because we were good in St. Louis last year and we went to Phoenix and we were trashed there too. So no, it doesn’t. And I’m just always honest, but no, it doesn’t give me confidence. But, you know, I know that we’re going to continue to work at it and get better.”
That determination will be important, as Larson’s advantage gives the No. 5 team some breathing room, but it does not eliminate the need to address a recurring weakness before it is too late.
The timing of Larson’s comments is rather interesting too, particularly because of Joe Gibbs Racing narrowing the points gap. Chase Briscoe secured his second consecutive victory while Christopher Bell finished just behind him. Denny Hamlin also collected a top-five result, leaving JGR with three drivers capable of putting pressure on the championship leader.
As detailed in NASCAR.com’s analysis of the title battle, Larson left Charlotte with a sixth-place finish, his worst result of the Chase so far. He nevertheless extended his lead over Hamlin to 49 points, with Bell 51 points behind and Briscoe trailing by 65. Briscoe himself admitted recently that the only way to gain ground is to win, because running second or third while Larson does the same won’t close 65 points in four weeks.
The margin remains valuable, and JGR’s recent form further makes the next few races extremely important. Briscoe, who had apparently thrown in the towel not long ago, has turned around and shown how quickly a strong run of results can shrink a deficit. Phoenix gives Larson another opportunity to protect his advantage at a track where he openly acknowledges the team’s struggles.
To sum it up, the recent numbers suggest that Phoenix is one of Larson’s best tracks. Larson says it isn’t. The next 312 laps will show which one of them is right.