Larson finishes 2nd, takes over points

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Larson finished second at Phoenix International Raceway and then headed to the beach for a brief family vacation.

There was no lamenting his third consecutive runner-up finish because Larson is the current points leader of NASCAR’s top series. His positioning atop the standings is almost as good as a trip to victory lane.

Larson has now finished second in four of the last five Cup races dating to last season’s finale, and he was in contention for the victory in the Daytona 500 until he ran out of gas on the final lap and finished 12th. A two-tire stop put him in position to win Sunday at Phoenix in overtime, but a slip on the restart cost him any chance of running down leader Ryan Newman in the two-lap sprint to the finish.

“I mean, I guess little mistakes or inexperience or whatever you want to call it,” Larson said of his bridesmaid status. “Hindsight is always 20/20. But I should have went a lane up in one and two. I should have known to just stay close to Newman. That’s what I wish I would have done. But, yeah, it’s weird ... I finish second like every week. Maybe we’ll turn them into wins soon.”

Sure, wins would be great, but at this pace, Larson doesn’t need them. He’s using consistency to run up front and stay in contention for a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. It’s the beauty of NASCAR’s points system that is often overlooked.