Elk Grove native Kyle Larson looks to repeat at Sonoma Raceway

HOME WILL LEAD HIM BACK TO THE TOP. IT FEELS DIFFERENT. IT FEELS EXCITING. THAT IS WHAT KYLE LARSON HAD TO SAY TO ME THIS AFTERNOON AS HE RETURNS TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE ELK GROVE NATIVE IS LOOKING TO WIN THIS RACE FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW. LARSON, WHO CURRENTLY SITS TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE NASCAR CUP STANDINGS, SEES THIS TRACK AS A WAY TO GENERATE SOME MOMENTUM AFTER SOME OF HIS RECENT RACES HAVE NOT LIVED UP TO HIS STANDARDS. LARSON HAS ONLY TWO TOP TEN FINISHES IN HIS LAST FIVE RACES. THE GOOD NEWS FOR HIM? HE IS NOT FAR BEHIND IN THE POINTS. HIS STRONG PERFORMANCES FROM APRIL AND MAY HAVE KEPT HIM CLOSE AND GIVEN HIS EXPERIENCE AT THIS TRACK, LARSON SAYS HE’S FEELING GOOD. HE SAYS THE KEY TO VICTORY IS HONING IN ON THE RACE STRATEGY. CLOSER TO THIS WEEKEND. JUST BEING BACK HOME IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND BEAUTIFUL NAPA VALLEY IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS AWESOME. BUT YEAH, WE’LL GET TO SEE FRIENDS AND HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS THAT I DON’T GET TO SEE TOO OFTEN ALL WEEK AND THEN GET TO HAVE FUN OUT HERE ON A ON AN AWESOME RACETRACK. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF OUR TURNING AROUND THIS LITTLE SLUMP THAT WE’RE IN, AND WE CAN GET BACK TO JUST HAVING A WIN, OBVIOUSLY WOULD BE AMAZING, BUT JUST TO GET LIKE A SOLID, CONSISTENT FINISH WOULD BE GOOD. NOW, WHILE HE FOCUSES ON PREPARING FOR SUNDAY, HE ALSO HAS HIGHER STANDARDS FOR HIMSELF. HE TOLD ME IT’S MY HOMETOWN AND I NEED TO PERFORM. HE SAYS HE’LL BE ABLE TO GET A BETTER IDEA ABOUT WHAT IS POSSIBLE TOWARDS THE END OF THIS WEEK, ONCE HE’S ABLE TO HIT THE TRACK FOR PRACTICE, BUT HE TOLD ME HE’S HOPING TO GO FROM LOCAL DRIVER TO LOCAL RACE WINNER ONCE

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