Texas Throwback: Kyle Larson wins on his way to 2021 NASCAR championship

With one win under his belt in these NASCAR Playoffs, what is to stop Kyle Larson from repeating his Texas performance from 2021? In that season, Larson swept the All-Star Race and the fall playoff race in the Lone Star State.

Kyle Larson can win on any kind of track. He gets the most out of his car even when he doesn’t have speed. He’s just one of those guys that is usually going to be involved in the finish. When he has fast cars though, it is hard to get him out of the lead.

The Texas playoff race in 2021 was one of those races where everything hit for Larson. He had some pressure at times from Brad Keselowski, but it was a dominant race for the 5 team. Getting to advance a couple of weeks ahead of Phoenix doesn’t hurt, either.

Leading 256 laps on the day, Kyle Larson road his Chevy to victory. He had to hold off the field on the final restart, but had a rocketship of a car. This gave him his eighth win of the season and set him up perfectly to chase that title in Phoenix.

How about Brad Keselowski in that No. 2 Penske car? What a wild Silly Season that was coming into the Next Gen era. Arguably it has just gotten even wilder in the last two seasons. That’s beside the point, though.

Kyle Larson has three top-5 finishes to start the NASCAR Playoffs and a win among those. Could he be looking at another win in Texas?

Kyle Larson one of two favorites for Texas

Heading into the race this season, Larson is looking like the man to beat once again. He has a lot of momentum heading into this race. Texas is a tough track though. It is one of those that has gremlins all over it, tires can pop and shred and cars quickly find themselves in the wall when it does happen.

At 9-2 odds, Larson is entering the weekend as the favorite along with Denny Hamlin. The thing is, this track typically favors the Ford camp. That makes me think that we’re going to see a driver like Ryan Blaney or Brad Keselowski make a move for the win, or at least be in contention.

Given his recent history on the track, I have to think Kyle Larson is going to be in it for the win. However, I think this goes to a Ford in the end. In my Round of 12 predictions, I actually have Larson holding off until later to make a big splash.

The Round of 12 is the next step in the NASCAR Playoffs. This is going to be major for many drivers. Some will try to continue their career-best seasons and others, like Larson, are chasing another Bill France Cup in Phoenix.