NASCAR Richmond 2014: Rookie Kyle Larson unfazed by Chase pressure

From the onset of the season Kyle Larson has consistently been the top performing rookie in NASCAR’s premiere division. And although he’s yet to win, the 22-year-old has lived up to the hype that accompanied his arrival, which often included comparisons to Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Yet as good as he has run in 2014, because Larson has yet to post a victory, he enters the regular season finale on the wrong side of the Chase for the Sprint Cup cutline. Greg Biffle leads Larson by 24 points for the final playoff position.

That means Larson’s best -- and perhaps only -- shot to grab a Chase berth is to win Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

“That is pretty much our only hope right now, unless Biffle has an absolutely horrible night, we are going to have to get a win,” Larson said. “It is nice knowing what you have to do before the race starts.”

Considering the circumstances it would seem Larson might be more aggressive at Richmond, as he is unlikely to gain a large chuck of points on Biffle, a 12-year veteran. But that style doesn’t mesh with Larson’s typically calculating approach. And the times he has been more assertive haven’t always worked out.

In June, Larson attempted to throw a block on Stewart during a restart at Michigan International. The two made contact, and despite their close relationship Stewart voiced his displeasure with the rookie post-race.

A few weeks later Larson admittedly abused his right front tires at Kentucky Speedway, which resulted in a crash. Last month the rookie was too eager getting on pit road and collided with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The damage Larson sustained eventually led to another crash later.

“You can’t be dirty,” Larson said Thursday. “Just be as aggressive as you can without really doing anything stupid and making anybody too mad. I mean you could, but I will have a long career, hopefully, racing these guys so I don’t want to. Long term I think it would be a better choice to not do anything stupid.”

With its tight confines and often rough nature, Richmond is the antithesis of the kind of oval that best suits Larson’s driving style. He is generally better on intermediate-sized tracks featuring multiple grooves and ample room to pass.

But Larson is confident about his prospects in the Federated Auto Parts 400. In the spring race -- when rain washed out qualifying -- he was awarded the pole due to setting the fastest time in practice. Even after spinning out on the first lap, with an assist courtesy of Clint Bowyer’s bumper, Larson rebounded to finish 16th.

A recent tire test at Richmond further buoys Larson’s confidence that he can earn his first career victory Saturday night.

“Doing those tire tests at a track that you aren’t very good at is nice because you can focus on hitting your marks every corner where you are not worried about the person behind you or person in front of you,” Larson said. “You are just worried about hitting your marks. You can learn your rhythm and I thought I did that a lot at the test.

“I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of this track. Hopefully we can get a win.”

As for pressure to win and become just the second rookie to ever qualify for the Chase, Larson says he’s not feeling it.

“I guess I really don’t ever feel any pressure,” Larson said. “Maybe there is less pressure since I actually know what I have to do on Saturday night and that is to get a win.”