After finishing a close second to winner Joey
Logano last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Larson readily admits that he and
his team are ready to make their first visit to Victory Lane.
“We've just got to get a little bit better,”
said Larson today. “And I probably have to do a better job, also. We've
been really close in the Chase (and) it's been good to see the speed we've had
in our Target Chevy. We've been close, and Charlotte should be a good
track for me, so hopefully we can go there and have a good run.”
Larson gave much of the credit for his success
to Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, which has made huge competitive
strides in 2014 after running hot-and-cold in the last few seasons.
“I'm loving the way the team is working
together right now,” he said. “I think we're in a great spot, and we're only
going to get better. “(We’ve) just got to keep the atmosphere good in the
shop -- with the team and everything -- and I think that'll also help make the
cars go faster.
“We've been having a lot of fun as a team
lately,” he added. “You can tell everybody is pretty relaxed because we've
been running well. We're all focused. We see how close we are, and it
makes everybody in the shop work even harder to find that extra little bit.
“It is a little bit frustrating to come close
and not get wins, but it's also nice to see yourself running in the Top-3 with
everybody that's in the Cup field. It's amazingly tough. It's really
exciting, but a little bit frustrating at the same time. I still definitely
leave (the track) in a good mood. It would be kind of weird to leave in a
bad mood for finishing second.”
Larson said that while he has been strong
across the board in recent weeks, he feels strongest on the 1.5-mile ovals.
“I think any mile‑and‑a‑half that's left in
the schedule -- Charlotte, Texas or Homestead -- probably are the where I'll
have the best shot. I hope I can get a win at any of the upcoming tracks,
but I'd say those are the highest chances for me. I'll go into those races
with extra confidence and hopefully get it done.”
He said that while he was initially surprised
with the success of his rookie season, he quickly raised his expectations after
realizing how solid his team was.
“I set a goal to be a Top-15 car all season,”
he said, “and I noticed right from the start of the season we'd be a Top-10 car
most races. I changed the goal a little bit to run Top-10 every race, and
now the way things are going, you want to be Top-5. The goals have
definitely changed a little bit throughout the year, and that's a good thing
when you're raising your expectations.
“We've just got to keep working hard, and
hopefully those Top-5s will turn into wins.”
As expectations have risen this season, the
California native said he has worked hard to avoid turning those expectations
into pressure.
“I don't add any pressure on myself,” he said. “I really
don't even pay attention to pressure, (and) I think that's a really good
quality as a race car driver to put that in the back of your head. I mean,
I'll be really relieved whenever that first win does come. I hope it comes
sooner rather than later. I definitely feel like we're capable of winning
a race or two before the end of the year, and getting that first one out of the
way will be awesome.”
I think this guy is a dam good driver ! I like his driving style and the way he carries himself off the track . looks like the rookie of the year to me if that what u want to call him .
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