Kyle Larson A Favorite But Others Have Urgency
1 year agoKyle Larson has already advanced to the Championship 4 by virtue of his win in Las Vegas, so he doesn't need to win at Martinsville tomorrow but he still stands as one of the obvious favorites. In addition to finally winning his first Cup race there in the spring event, he also outqualified all the other Chevy drivers with his fifth-place qualifying run today. Larson also ranks second in speed on short tracks with a speed percentile of 80.44% behind only Tyler Reddick. Despite all that, both Martin Truex, Jr. and Denny Hamlin seem like likelier winners, They both have a stronger record at Martinsville than he does, and they will likely have more desire because they need to win in order to advance while Larson does not.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference