Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-10 · by Steve Reed The Associated Press
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Larson didn’t win a race during the regular season.
asserted
Larson → win → season
But the defending NASCAR Cup champion already has two postseason victories along with three other top-five finishes, vaulting him into a commanding lead as the “Chase” heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Bank of America 400.
asserted
Chase → defend → 400
Larson, who is looking for his third championship overall, leads regular-season champion Denny Hamlin by 40 points.
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who → look → points
But he knows he still has some work to do.
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he → know → work
Christopher Bell is lurking in third place only 55 points back heading to one of his favorite tracks, while Joey Logano (71 points behind), Ryan Blaney (80) and last week’s winner at Las Vegas Chase Briscoe (84) are all within 100 points of the lead with five of 10 playoff races remaining.
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races → lurk → lead
As for his team’s uptick in production, Larson said his Hendrick Motorsports team has taken the things it learned from the regular season and applied them to the playoffs.
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it → say → playoffs
He said the team is peaking at the right time.
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team → say → time
“It’s been amazing,” Larson said.
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Larson → say → ?
“I definitely didn’t think we would start off the Chase like this. ...
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we → think → this
It was tough to stay motivated and I didn’t think we would get to this point back in the summer.
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we → stay → summer
But you can never count out Hendrick Motorsports.”
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you → count → Motorsports
The turnaround of the No. 5 team hasn’t surprised Logano one bit.
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turnaround → surprise → Logano
“You’re talking about Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports,” Logano said.
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Logano → talk → Larson
“These guys have won championships before and when you have a bit of a slump it’s not like they forgot how to do it.
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they → win → it
It’s just they are trying to catch back up, and now somebody (in their organization) has found something to make them go faster.
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them → ’ → something
Practice, qualifying rained out; that doesn’t sit well with Bell
Rain washed out practice and qualifying on Saturday, which means Larson will start on the pole based off the metrics now used by NASCAR.
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Larson → rain → NASCAR
Briscoe will start alongside Larson, followed by Tyler Reddick and Blaney on the second row.
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Briscoe → start → row
He will start 17th despite being third in the playoff hunt.
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He → start → hunt
Bell was outspoken Saturday about the situation, saying that while he doesn’t have any issues with the metrics used by NASCAR he does feel racing’s governing body should do everything it can to have qualifying — even it if means doing so on Sunday morning before the race.
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it → say → race
Charlotte is the fourth playoff race — and the ninth overall this season — in which weather wiped out qualifying.
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weather → wipe → qualifying
“I just think we should be practicing and we should be qualifying,” Bell said.
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Bell → think → ?
“We’re the top level of auto racing in America and you’re not going to see the other forms of racing line the races up without qualifying.
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forms → ’re → qualifying
I just think we need to qualify.”
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we → think → ?
Hamlin trying to shake off disappointing finish at Las Vegas
Hamlin is trying to put a disastrous 16th-place finish last week behind him and regroup at his home track.
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Hamlin → try → track
Hamlin spun out at Las Vegas and then had a misplay in which he pitted rather than staying out and trapping Larson a lap down.
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he → spin → Larson
Once back on the lead lap, Larson was able to navigate his way up through the field to finish second, extending his series lead.
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Larson → navigate → lead
Hamlin said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast earlier this week that he and his team took their eyes off the ball for just a second — and it cost them.
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it → say → them
“Had I known that Larson was a lap down and he would have got his lap back by me pitting, I would have never turned down pit road,” Hamlin said.
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Hamlin → know → road
“I don’t care what the crew chief says.
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chief → care → what
I would have never turned down pit road.
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I → turn → road
I think if you had time to think about it and all the things, I think there’s no question that we do something different next time around.”
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we → think → something
Hamlin said he has completely disengaged from the public this week, something he frequently does following a tough race when he feels like he needs to regroup.
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he → say → race
Brad Keselowski eyes future opportunities after split with RFK
Brad Keselowski said he’s still evaluating his options after his split with RFK Racing, hinting that the future looks bright for him.
“There are more opportunities than you guys are aware of right now,” Keselowski said.
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Keselowski → eye → him
“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes chatter that doesn’t always make its way (to the media).”
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that → ’ → media
The 42-year-old Keselowski said he wants to race for at least three to five more years, but it needs to be the right situation.
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it → say → years
He has won 36 Cup Series races during his career but only one since 2020.
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He → win → 2020
He thinks he can return to victory lane much like Mark Martin did late in his career if he finds the right ride.
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he → think → ride
“I feel like in tier one equipment I can win a lot more races,” Keselowski said.
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Keselowski → feel → races
“There’s an old Kevin Harvick saying ‘you can’t make a slow racecar go fast.’
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racecar → ’ → ?
That’s just how it is.
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it → ’ → ?
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
