The odds in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason are in Kyle Larson’s favor.
It starts with being the No. 1 playoff seed as things kick off at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET). The driver who has been the No. 1 seed has won the championship four times in the elimination era. Secondly, according to NASAR partner DraftKings, Larson is the odds-on favorite to claim the 2024 crown, not that the Hendrick Motorsports driver looks at or cares about the odds.
“No. No, I don’t care about the odds,” Larson said. “NASCAR, especially in the Next Gen era, is just crazy. There is so much inconsistency these days that you can easily find yourself in trouble; doesn’t matter if you have a 35- or 40-point buffer to the cutline currently.”
Larson has a 35-point advantage on the cutline as the postseason begins at Atlanta, but it’s just a 36-point gap to go from first to last (16th) on the playoff grid.
“You definitely have your favorites and guys who are really fast every week, but it’s NASCAR and Next Gen racing, so it’s always crazy,” Larson said. “There are always a couple of heavy guys that get knocked out somewhat early that could very well be deserving champions, so it’s hard to predict who is going to be in the final four but some good teams have the best shot currently. Like I said, a lot of stuff can happen.
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“There’s usually always a team or two that turns things up a lot in the playoffs and executes really well and makes it pretty far. Maybe not to the final four every year, but [they] can make it really far.”
Larson and the No. 5 team lead the series in wins (four), laps led (1,088), poles (five), and are tied with Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing for stage wins (10). The victories came on intermediates (Las Vegas; Kansas), a road course (Sonoma), and Indianapolis.
Of the first 26 races, Larson led laps in 18 of them.
“I think our strength is our speed; we’re really fast, I feel like, at every racetrack,” Larson said. “Our execution, I know it might not seem like it at times, but is great. I think we’ve also overcome a lot of adversity at times.
“We’re well-rounded as a team. We’ve gone to the final four the last three years, so I think that gives a lot of confidence as well.”
In 2021, when Larson won the Cup Series championship, he did so from the No. 1 seed.