USA TODAY International Edition
Larson aims to drive from pole to victory
DOVER, Del. – Race car drivers laugh in the face of fear, driving 200 mph inches apart on some of the world’s fastest speedways. But put a golf club in their hands in front of a crowd and …
“I was extremely nervous,” said driver Kyle Larson of wielding his driver on the first tee of this past week’s pro am event before the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. “Way more nervous than I can remember being for anything else. Five days before the event, every time I thought about it I would get my heart rate up.”
But Larson stepped up to the tee and powered the ball down the fairway. As simple as making the tunnel turn at Pocono Raceway.
Larson returned to his regular gig Friday, spinning a lap at 158.103 mph to win the pole for Sunday’s AAA 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway.
Although qualifying often means very little, starting up front at the treacherous Monster Mile has its value.
“Starting up front is a very important thing here,” Larson said. “It can get tough to pass and all that.”
Although he is winless through the first 10 races of the season, Larson has carried the flag for Chevrolet. He is the only Chevy driver in the top 10 in points — he’s 10th.
“Our team has been working really hard to make our cars better and better,” Larson said. “Each race we have gone to, they have been excited about the race cars that they have brought to the track because they have been steps in the right direction of more downforce, whatever. So it’s cool to see it paying off with us getting a pole.”
Larson has struggled with restarts for much of his Cup career and, oddly, has faced the biggest challenges when he is up front.
“Restarts on the front row (have) been somewhere I have always struggled and worked really hard to try and get better,” he said. “I feel like I have gotten better. The last two races I won last year were off restart wins.
“I felt like each time I’ve lost on a late restart or anytime I’ve lost, I learn from it and try and get better. I don’t know if I’m in that same position on Sunday if I will win or not, but I definitely know I will be better.”
Also starting in the top five will be Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Harvick and Busch have each won three races this year, while Truex, the reigning series champion, has scored one victory.
Seven-time series champion and 11time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson will start 19th. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is riding a 33-race winless streak — his last victory came at Dover in June — and has one top-five finish this year.
“We’ll get it close, and history shows that,” Johnson said. “Hopefully we get it perfect and we can have the day that we really want to have and get back to victory lane. But it does take a little pressure off me knowing that this is my best track and knowing that this is my favorite track.”