Kyle Larson Has Fallen Off a Cliff Since His Indy-Charlotte Double, Claims Kyle Petty

Kyle Larson finished Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway in an underwhelming 35th place. It marked his fourth finish outside the top 10 in the seven races that have gone by since his failed attempt at completing the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Unavoidably, this low point that he is encountering is being noticed by the industry experts.

Kyle Petty was on NASCAR’s Inside The Race segment with Alex Weaver and Todd Gordon following Sunday’s event when he spoke about Larson’s recent form. He said, “If we go back to everything that happened at Indianapolis and then come to Charlotte and everything, they’ve just not been where we expect the No. 5 team to be. And I think that’s key, too. It’s where we expect the No.5 team to be.”

Petty referred to this failure to meet expectations as the Jimmie Johnson syndrome. When the seven-time champion went through a string of top-5 finishes back in the day, his fans were disappointed that he wasn’t winning races. While such temporary downfalls in form aren’t worthy of criticism and are pretty much inevitable, it stems from the high standard that a driver sets for himself.

The common agreement is that Larson will bounce back from this rut. Petty continued, “It’ll come back around. Todd knows it. We all know it. Racing is a cyclical sport, man. You are king of the hill for three races, and then that streak goes cold.” He further used Christopher Bell to make his case. Bell had won three races in quick succession during the early days of the 2025 season.

This led the racing community to brand him as the ultimate favorite to win the championship at the end of the year. But the following months have seen him experience a drop in results.

This showcases how long a Cup Series season actually is and serves as a reminder that quick judgment seldom ends well. Coming back to Larson, Gordon believes that the No.5 team doesn’t have much to worry about.

He said that a little bit of disappointment in the middle of a season can motivate a driver to perform better heading into the postseason. He pointed out how Team Penske doesn’t have dominating summers and still ends up winning championships.

This argument makes a lot of sense as well, considering how competitive Larson and his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, are as individuals. While they aren’t going to lie down and accept things without a fight, hopefully, it doesn’t take long for them to go back to being who they are on the track, with just six more races left in the regular season.