Sports

Kyle Larson Hits Back at 'Slump' Label Amid Winless Streak

It has been an uncharacteristically long time since Kyle Larson won a race. You have to go back to the first Kansas race of 2025. So, what does the Hendrick Motorsports driver and defending champion think about this supposed "slump?" He doesn't see it as a slump at all.

Kyle Larson sits sixth in the points, has five top-fives and eight top-10 finishes. It isn't like he hasn't raced in the front, he's led 573 laps on the season, almost 180 more than Tyler Reddick with five wins on the year. In fact, only Denny Hamlin has led more laps this season than Larson.

When asked about his winless streak on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Larson dismissed the concern a bit. He seems to feel comfortable with how his team has performed.

"I don't feel bummed or sad or anything of that nature that we haven't won in over a year now because we have been consistent. Always could be more consistent, and I think that's an area that I've strived to get better at, and then yeah, I just think that we've had less opportunities to win just because the Gibbs, the Toyota cars are so fast.

"But I feel like, man, we're doing a good job with what we have. We're sixth in points, we're not too far out of fourth. So, yeah, sure I want to be winning right now and all of that, but I'm not going to stress myself out about it either because I understand that there's still work to be done to get to where we need to be. And two, we're running inside the top-10, we're not running outside the top-10. I think that would feel more like a slump. I don't really feel like we're in a slump at the moment. So, just gotta keep our heads down, stay focused on us and it will come together."

Kyle Larson makes good points. He's run well this season. His teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman have struggled more than the No. 5 team. Some of that can be explained by the new Chevrolet bodies this season. There were many things for these Chevy teams to figure out, and it's still a work in progress.

So, this isn't the time to panic, right? Larson doesn't seem to think so, and he's winning like crazy on the dirt, so maybe it is just a matter of time. That time might come at Pocono Raceway this Sunday.

Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM.

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