Jesse Love takes charge in NASCAR O’Reilly Chase with win at Phoenix

As the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship dwindles down to the final three contenders, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin face an uphill battle to clinch the title. Both racers have a chance to be crowned champion in the last four races, with Larson currently leading by 49 points. Hamlin, holding the top seed with a 25-point advantage, has struggled to match Larson's performance, but remains optimistic about his chances.

When asked about his biggest concern in the race, Larson diplomatically stated that he believes all three contenders can win at any point. However, he admitted that his track record at Phoenix is less than stellar, stating that it is one of the toughest tracks for his team to find speed. "We’ve had a couple decent ones, but never do we come here and we’re like the fastest. So yeah, it’s just been a tough track for us and one that we’ve worked hard to try and find the speed," Larson said.

Although Hamlin has only managed to win one early race so far, he emphasized the importance of limiting bad days and executing to the best of their abilities every week. "The difference between first and second in the race is huge," he said, "so we need to find a way to minimize our bad days and maximize our good ones."

In the upcoming races, the team will be focusing on improving their performance on pit road and on the racetrack. Hamlin acknowledged that they have not hit the panic button yet, but he knows it's time to start chipping away at the gap. "I haven’t hit the panic button at all, but I can see it," Hamlin said. "I need to start pressing from this weekend if we end up with a larger deficit leaving here than what we started."