NASCAR champion Kyle Larson says that he is motivated by Hendrick Motorsports' recent progress as his long wait for a Cup Series victory continues.

Despite winning the Cup Series title in the championship race at Phoenix last November, Larson's current victory drought at the top level of the sport extends back to May 2025 at Kansas.

Of course, Larson has since won a couple of races in the O'Reilly Series and one in the Truck Series, but after a fourth-place finish at Michigan on Sunday, his wait for a Cup Series victory has now extended to 39 races.

Still, the reigning champion sees hope on the horizon for himself and his team as they continue to get to grips with the new Chevrolet body.

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Kyle Larson on Hendrick Motorsports form and progress

"Yeah, absolutely," Larson said post-race on Sunday when asked if Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet had more speed in recent weeks.

"We’re definitely a large step behind them still," he continued. "We’ve closed the gap a lot. I thought Chase [Elliott] was better than I was today. William [Byron], when I got up there initially, I thought he was better than me as well.

"Just there at the end he seemed to fade, and then Chase had his troubles. Who knows, if Chase was still out there, if it would have been a closer race there at the end.

"Proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports because it’s been a tough year of a lot of hard work to this point. But yeah, they keep digging in and trying to just find any little bit. I think there’s still a lot to be learned with this body. I know it doesn’t seem like much on paper probably, but just finding that balance has been difficult.

"I feel like there’s three weeks in a row that we’ve been close on balance. To me that says we’re heading on the right path finally, and I’m motivated by that."

Can Larson end drought at Pocono?

The Cup Series now heads to Pocono, where Larson will have to do something he has never done before if he is to stop his drought extending to 40 races - win.

In 18 races, the reigning champion's best finish at the track is second place, which he achieved twice in 2018 and 2021.

Chevrolet has also only won one of the last 11 races at Pocono - Elliott's victory in 2022 - so Larson certainly has his work cut out if he is to stop the rot.

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