WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) – It took five wins by Kyle Larson to catch the most consistent driver in NASCAR’s Cup Series this season, but he finally did it.
Now, it’s a sprint to finish first in the driver points standings with three races left in the regular season. Larson and Denny Hamlin are tied with 917 points.
“I think for him and I both, we’ve been mentally there for a while now,” Larson said after his series-leading fifth win on Sunday at Watkins Glen. “And yes, I think come playoff time, we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing and, hopefully, we’ll find ourselves in the final four.”
Hamlin gained the points lead after the second race of the season at the Daytona road course and his consistency allowed him to extend it before Larson got hot in the spring and began pecking away.
After 23 races, both drivers have 16 top 10s and 12 top 5s, and Larson also has a series-best 12 stage wins to five for Hamlin. The 29-year-old Larson had a six-race stretch starting at Darlington in early May that included three wins and three runner-up finishes in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, which has won 11 races this season. He closed the gap to two points after the second race at Pocono in late June.