Kyle Larson describes what makes him a ‘ridiculous’ qualifier at Sonoma racetrack

Kyle Larson shared his thoughts on being one of the best qualifiers at Sonoma Raceway. While his 3.8 qualifying average is undeniably impressive, the Californian isn't sure why things are clicking for him on his home track.

Larson once scored five pole positions in a row (2017-2022) on the 1.99-mile circuit with Hendrick Motorsports and the now-defunct Chip Ganassi Racing. He had a 16th-place start in 2023 but recovered the following year with a row-three start before winning the race.

In a pre-race interview on Saturday, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion was asked about his “ridiculous” qualifying performance at Sonoma Raceway. He responded by saying:

“I really don't know.... I'm not sure. But yeah, it's always gone well for me here... from the first times I've been here to qualify, and then we went on a string of, I don't know, four or five poles in a row.”

Kyle Larson added:

“Last year, I think we qualified fifth. So, I don't know. We had one where we were pretty bad, I think, in the Next Gen car and qualified in the teens. But other than that, it's been really good.”

Kyle Larson driving the #5 Chevrolet Camaro at Sonoma Raceway - Source: Imagn

Despite a strong momentum entering the weekend, Kyle Larson only managed to start 11th alongside Zane Smith in row six. Driving the #5 Chevrolet, he recorded a lap time of 75.254 seconds at a speed of 95.198 mph. Shane van Gisbergen is the pole winner, surpassing the runner-ups Chase Briscoe and William Byron.

The road course race at Sonoma Raceway will commence on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. It will also host the third round of the In-Season Challenge. However, Larson is already out of contention after the opening round against Tyler Reddick, who was his regular-season championship rival last year.

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Kyle Larson shares throwback video of him supporting Jeff Gordon as a kid at Sonoma

Kyle Larson shared a clip from a 1999 NASCAR race at Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway), showing himself supporting Jeff Gordon. He waved to the camera while wearing Gordon's merchandise as the driver settled into his #24 Chevrolet racecar.

In an Instagram post, the now 32-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver wrote:

“Sonoma week, @jeffgordonweb (Jeff Gordon) was always my guy!”

At the time, Jeff Gordon, who drove the #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, started in the pole position. He eventually led the most laps before finishing in first place ahead of Mark Martin and John Andretti. It was the same race where Ken Schrader had a scary crash, in which his #33 Chevy flipped over and landed on its roof.

Jeff Gordon driving the #24 Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway in 1999 - Source: Getty

Today, Jeff Gordon is the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, overseeing the team's four-car driver lineup of Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman. The team heads into this week's race at Sonoma Raceway with Larson, Byron, and Elliott leading the points standings. Bowman, meanwhile, is in 10th place and is the only HMS driver without a win this year.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer