Kyle Larson was a part of Championship Weekend last year; however, it was due to the No. 5 car being in the owner’s championship. Larson, 30, was eliminated in the Round of 12 and made the final race of the owner’s championship by winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Now, the driver of the No. 5 car will look to return to dominance during the 2023 NASCAR season. Find out the official predictions for Larson’s year below.
Kyle Larson wins the 2023 NASCAR regular season championship
Larson won the regular season championship during the 2021 season en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series title. Well, he is predicted to have a similar start by claiming the 2023 regular season championship.
The 30-year-old driver will be the best driver over the 26-race stretch to start the year. Larson’s teammate Chase Elliott will be the second-best driver as Hendrick Motorsports flexes its muscles.
Larson will win three races during the regular season at some pretty notable tracks, such as Bristol Dirt, Darlington Raceway, and the Coca-Cola 600. All three tracks have featured bad luck in the past so it is a relief for him to finally succeed.
At the end of the stretch, Larson will have the most playoff points going into the postseason. With 33 playoff points, it represents three more than Elliott with a gap of 26 points to the cut-line.
After missing the 2022 Championship 4, there is some redemption on the horizon for Larson as the postseason arrives.
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Kyle Larson returns to the Championship 4
Larson made his first Championship 4 during the 2021 season and this year will represent his second trip. Alongside Elliott, the Hendrick Motorsports duo will cruise to Championship Weekend.
The driver of the No. 5 car has an easy Round of 16 with his abundance of playoff points and predicted victory at Kansas Speedway. With that out of the way, Larson enters the round he was eliminated from last year.
Larson does not claim a victory during the Round of 12; however, he advances due to the playoff points he earned during the season. He slots in as the sixth-highest driver in the three-race stretch with a semi-comfortable gap to the cut-line.
Going into the Round of 8, there is one track that Larson has circled and that is Homestead-Miami Speedway. The California native dominated the event last season and expects the same this year.
Larson will easily claim the win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and punch his ticket to the Championship 4. It means he has five wins during the 35 races entering the season-defining event.
So, this leads us to the final race of the 2023 season. Does Larson add himself to a small list of multi-time NASCAR Cup Series champions?
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Final prediction on Kyle Larson’s overall season
Larson enters Phoenix Raceway as the favorite after winning the regular season championship and most races during the 2023 playoffs. However, it may not end in the way that everyone imagines.
The No. 5 team will end up finishing fourth in the point standings after struggling at Phoenix Raceway. Over the last two years, the track has given Larson some slight difficulties despite his championship in 2021.
With Elliott and Larson both coming short of winning the title, it means a Hendrick Motorsports driver does not win the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship. William Byron is eliminated in the Round of 8 while Alex Bowman is knocked out in the Round of 12.
Overall, it will be a very successful season for Larson once again. It may not end in a second Cup Series title; however, another regular-season championship and first Coca-Cola 600 victory is nothing to be ashamed of moving forward.
Larson did not have the dominance many expected during the 2022 season so it would be refreshing for his fans to see him reclaim that magic once again. After all, the last race of the season is a one-race shootout.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be there when it counts and that’s all that matters nowadays. It only takes one race to change the narrative of an entire 36-race season.