Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Larson starting in rear of Focused Health 250 after winning pole award

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 3/23/24

Despite winning the pole award for the Xfinity Series Focused Health 250, Kyle Larson will start in the rear of the field tonight. The NASCAR champion had to have a brake rotor swapped on the No. 17 car and it was an unapproved adjustment.

Kyle Larson set an Xfinity Series track record at COTA with his qualifying lap. However, it is not going to matter to start the race. While this is a bummer for Larson and his team, it is good news for fans who want to see a show.

Even in the Cup Series, Larson has made a habit of coming from the back of the field when he needs to. You can’t keep him down too long and I doubt this will be much of a deterrent to his chances of winning.

Unfortunately, @KyleLarsonRacin will be forced to start at the rear of the field in today’s Xfinity race due to the team replacing a cracked brake rotor.
— No. 5 Team (@Hendrick5Team) March 23, 2024

The only thing Larson will have to worry about is getting taken out by the back of the field. That is where things get all squirrely and wrecks are bound to happen. Make it through Turn 1 and things will be alright. That’s a huge maybe, though.

The last time Kyle Larson won a pole award in the Xfinity Series was Sonoma last season. He finished P3 in that race, unable to keep up with the leaders. His last Xfinity win at a road course was Watkins Glen in 2022.

Will we see Larson add another win to his Xfinity record? Or is the penalty going to be too much?

Kyle Larson pulling double duty at COTA

The best part of this weekend at COTA, we get to see a lot of Cup Series talent in the Xfinity Series. There is something about the Xfinity package that makes for great road course racing. So, when you see Larson, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and Shane van Gisbergen in the same race, it’s exciting.

The Cup Series pole was won by Larson’s teammate, William Byron. It looked like Toyota was going to run away with the qualifying session. That didn’t happen with Byron in the final round, though. He was able to put himself ahead of Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Gibbs.

One big story from Cup Series qualifying is the fact a Ford did not make the top-10. That was the first time in 69 races that a Ford failed to make the final round of qualifying and put a car in that top group.

Kyle Larson will have his work cut out for him tonight in the Xfinity Series. Then he will have to go ahead and get ready for Cup Series action on Sunday.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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