SONOMA, Calif. - As a born-and-bred Northern Californian, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is quite familiar with the numerous twists and 11 turns on the vaunted Sonoma Raceway road course.
That doesn't make him much better at navigating them in a stock car.
"Turn one up through the hill, all the way basically through turn four, I'm really good," the 25-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver said. "Off of turn four, I struggle; seven, I struggle; 11, I struggle. Clint (Bowyer) is trying to teach me a little throttle control. That is where I lack. And then the (S-curves) I'm decent at. And then turn 11, I kind of (stink) again.
"Any corner where you have to slow down and speed back up, I tend to struggle at, so I've got to get better at that."
Larson made those comments Friday, a day before he earned the pole position for Sunday's race at his home track by turning a lap at 94.597 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro. It's the sixth pole of his Cup Series career and the second straight year Larson, who grew up in the Sacramento suburbs, will start first at Sonoma.
He was happy to be on the pole again and said qualifying here is one of his "favorite things of the year." But he still hasn't won at Sonoma, finishing no better than 12th in his first four races and winding up 26th last year in a contact-filled race, a common occurrence at this venue.
"Well, I have a long ways to go to get better at racing here," Larson said Saturday. "I can always qualify good here for some reason, but racing seems to be a struggle, for whatever reason. I smoke the tires off it. I've been working hard to get better each and every year."
Larson isn't alone. Road-course racing skills - such as the ability to turn right - are becoming more important in NASCAR. The circuit has three nonoval tracks on its schedule this season for the first time in 31 years, and many drivers would like to see more in the future.
"It's fun to get to do something totally different than (how) I grew up racing," Larson said. "A pavement oval is totally different than what I grew up doing, but a road course is way opposite. I enjoy it. I feel like I get better and better at it."
This tight, technical road track has bedeviled many NASCAR drivers over the years. And now, after the annual stop at Watkins Glen's longer, faster road course in August, the drivers must figure out Charlotte Motor Speedway's new hybrid track dubbed the "roval" - a road course connected to its traditional oval - at a playoff race in September.
Kevin Harvick noted that as recently as 10 years ago, many NASCAR drivers and fans didn't enjoy races on road courses. These days, he said, most drivers relish the chance to test the full measure of their abilities.
More turns lead to more strategic possibilities for the teams, along with more wear on their tires and brakes. Two-wide restarts can be pandemonium on the tight Sonoma track. It all adds up to a good chance for exciting racing, which is not a bad outcome.
"I think driver means more than car at this particular race track," Denny Hamlin said. "The driver has so many inputs, from the wheel to the brake, clutch and gas and everything. We're doing so much within the lap. Different drivers' techniques come to the forefront, and that's why you see the winners here have really been the best of the best."
NASCAR is inextricably linked with oval racing, but the occasional monotony of the action can turn off casual racing fans, particularly on television. Road courses put a spotlight on the full measure of their driving skill - or sometimes the lack thereof.
Bowyer, who won at Sonoma in 2012 and finished second last year, has grown to love the challenges of the sharp corners, changing elevation and cramped racing in Sonoma.
"It is an acquired taste, just like the wine right down the street," Bowyer said with a laugh. "This place is a beast, and so is that wine the first time you try it. It's like, 'Damn, I don't know about all this.' Next thing you know, you're a little longer in the tooth, and you're like, 'Hey, let's go get some wine!'
"You have to be able to have fun on this race track. It is a challenge. Each and every corner is different. There is no perfect setup or perfect line."
Certain NASCAR drivers over the years have showed significantly superior technical acumen on road courses. Jeff Gordon, who grew up just down the road in Vallejo, won five times at Sonoma Raceway and four times at Watkins Glen, while Tony Stewart won eight times on the two tracks. Among active drivers, Bowyer and Kurt Busch have posted the most consistent top-five finishes on road courses, while Harvick has won once on each track.
In qualifying, Larson edged Martin Truex Jr., who will start second after turning a lap at 94.484 mph. It's the 11th time the 2017 series champion will start in the top 10 in 2018 and the fifth time this year he's on the front row.
Chase Elliott qualified third, and Jamie McMurray - another Chip Ganassi Racing driver - was fourth.
It wrapped up an interesting week for Larson, a dirt track enthusiast who sparked online criticism when he expressed his plans to race full-time in the World of Outlaws sprint car series "before I'm 40." He made the comment on Twitter while responding to a question from the World of Outlaws' account.
On Friday, Larson insisted he is dedicated to excelling in NASCAR's top-tier series.
"I think maybe some people aren't quite as open-minded, maybe," Larson said. "It's like they read it as if I said in two years from now, I wanted to do it. I mean, 15 years from now, that would put me 20 years in Cup, so that is a long time. I think Jeff Gordon spent about that much time in the sport, but I don't know.
"Maybe I don't do the best job in the world of talking about how much I love NASCAR as much as I do sprint cars, but I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't love NASCAR racing."