NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 18, 2026
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Kansas Speedway. Larson, the event’s defending winner, is a three-time winner in NASCAR’s top division at the track.
Media Availability Quotes:
Obviously, there’s a lot of talk about coming back to the site and event of your last win. So just tell me, as the week has gone on, what are your general feelings before heading out for practice and qualifying as we get this weekend going?
“Yeah, we typically run pretty well here, so excited to get back to Kansas and just get racing. Hopefully, we can execute a good Saturday; have a good car once again, qualify towards the front and set ourselves up for tomorrow.”
What’s been the biggest surprise about the racing so far under this new points format?
“I would say nothing’s been surprising to me. I didn’t think that the racing would really change heading into this season. And I would say, being out on the track, it doesn’t seem any different either. Guys are still really aggressive. Guys are going hard for stage points, as always, and race finishes. So, yeah, I don’t know what it looks like on TV, but I think it’s like the same old racing.”
This weekend you can tie Denny Hamlin for the most wins here, and you’re also 25 laps led away from passing Kevin Harvick for the most laps here. Whether it’s Kansas or any track, how important is it to be one of the best or the best statistically at a track?
“I don’t know. I mean, that’s not something I really pay attention to at the moment. You know, maybe when your career’s over, that’s the stuff that you’ll notice and think is cool. But right now, you just show up to the track and try to, like I said, do the best job you can. It would be cool to join Denny (Hamlin) as a four-time winner here. And yeah, obviously if you can pass Kevin Harvick on laps led anywhere, that’s pretty impressive. But neither of those were things that I thought about until you just brought it up.”
Looking ahead a few days, there’s a tire test that you’re participating in at Chicagoland. What kind of expectations do you have for a place where we really haven’t raced since 2019?
“Yeah, it’s been a while. Chicagoland was an awesome track back then, and I feel like it’s going to be a lot of fun with this car. I think this car produces a little bit more exciting racing on the intermediate-style tracks. I’m just curious to get there; see what condition the facility is in at this point, the racing surface and how it’s changed in the last six years or whatever it’s been. So, yeah, I think our whole team is excited about this test. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for us to learn there that could benefit us at other racetracks also throughout the year. So, yeah, it’s going to be a good test with a good benchmark of teams going there. I think it’s myself, the 11 (Denny Hamlin), the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and one other one maybe, I can’t remember. But those are the teams that you look at each week, so to go there and have two days to kind of learn what you can about your car, but also you’ll see how you stack up against them. They’re probably going to bring their best stuff, as well, so it’ll be good.”
When you look ahead to Talladega, what stands out as the biggest challenge for you guys? “Yeah, Talladega, I guess for next week, it’ll be a little different with the stage lengths. So just curious to see how that’s kind of going to affect the fuel conservation and stuff throughout the race. I still think you’re going to be saving quite a bit of fuel, but we’ll see when we get there. And then, I think you just study that and see what kind of scenarios might pop up and how to best adapt for it. You’re always trying to position yourself for that final run to the end, so we’ll see if we can do that. We’ve done that well in the past at Talladega, especially, and I think it could just look a little different now with stage lengths.”
You finished really well in these spring races in the Next Gen era. You’re coming in off some tough races and getting close to win. How much of a measuring stick is Kansas for you?
“Every track is a measuring stick, so I wouldn’t say it’s any more when you come here. But we do have a good package for this track and style of tracks. We always want to get better in all of that, so we’ll just try to go out there and try to execute a good weekend. Execute a good Saturday, that’s really important to feel your car’s balance out in practice and then take that into qualifying. With the conditions being cold today, you’ve really got to commit in qualifying, so getting your brain right for that is always difficult. And then hopefully that goes well and we can start towards the front tomorrow, just kind of chip away throughout the day and just give ourselves an opportunity.”
What are some of the challenges that face you at this track?
“Well, I think for this place, the wind definitely has an effect on your car. It’s not like a consistent direction. I feel like every time we come here, even from Saturday to Sunday, a lot of times it changes. So, that’s something that I always try to pay attention to here is the wind and how that might affect your car on the entries and exits of the corner and how you may be able to use the wind to your advantage with balance, passing and all that. And then, yeah, your level of commitment is very high here. You’re running right next to the wall in (turns) one and two and managing the risk there is important. But, yeah, more than anything, I think the long runs and the wind is probably something I try to pay attention to.”
Having time to look over the No. 5 team and the way you all have performed this season, and even having the break and coming back, where do you think the team is as a whole?
“I think our team is in a good spot in how we operate. You always want to get your cars better. I think the low downforce package, the short track package, is an area that we’re not where we want to be currently. So just working hard as an organization at Hendrick Motorsports, but also with Chevy, to get better. A lot of focus is going into that and hopefully we can hit on it soon and start just having more consistent runs from track to track. Right now, I feel really confident when we come to these style tracks, but it’s just a bit unknown every time we show up to a short track on how we might be. That’s the area where I think we need to get better. But like I said, the processes and where we are as a group with the No. 5 team, I think we’re in a good spot.”
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