If Kyle Larson Has A Championship Hangover?

Did You Notice? … Kyle Larson is the worst-performing Hendrick Motorsports driver this season?

I know, I know … that’s like saying Larson is the fourth-best player in an MLB lineup that has a record-setting offense. HMS has been far and away the best NASCAR Cup Series organization in 2022, putting all of their drivers in victory lane (and playoff position) within the first 11 races.

The reigning NASCAR champion, Larson still has racked up five top-five finishes and six top 10s. He started on the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 and earned his first ever top five at a pack race (fourth at Talladega Superspeedway). Larson’s six playoff points are tied for fifth in the series and he’s a respectable ninth in the standings, 117 behind teammate Chase Elliott.

But ninth is actually the worst among the HMS quartet. Larson has also declined in some of his more important metrics compared to last season.

KYLE LARSON: YEAR-BY-YEAR COMPARISON (12 RACES)

The one that concerns me is position differential. Larson has the second-best average start, trailing only Ryan Blaney but the second-largest dropoff in finishing position (only Denny Hamlin is worse).

At some point, the law of averages was bound to catch up with Larson and he’s had some circumstances outside his control (an engine failure at Phoenix Raceway, a push-gone-bad by Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway). But those DNFs also include two wrecks of his own creation, one late at Daytona International Speedway and an early spin at Darlington Raceway that might have contributed in cooking the engine.

Known as one of the more aggressive drivers on the circuit, Larson’s had a bit of a learning curve with the NASCAR Next Gen chassis. His younger teammate Byron has adapted more easily while others, like Ross Chastain, have seen the…