Kyle Larson knows precisely how he’s viewed in the eyes of opposing teams in the NASCAR garage, even when he’s not enjoying his best run of results.

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet rolled into Richmond Raceway this week after a rough night out at Watkins Glen, where a brake failure triggered a Lap 6 spin that sent his car behind the wall and left him dead last in a 39-car field, 15 laps down. Larson, who recently shared his international vision for NASCAR, ran the fastest lap of the entire race.

That chaos and a string of missed opportunities left Larson reflecting on his season, which recently saw him discuss his relationship with teammate Chase Elliott after an incident at the Iowa race. While recent results haven’t been his best, he is sure he still remains viewed as a car always capable of winning.

“We finished second at Indy. We had a great run going at Iowa. And then last week we had a great car, practiced really well,” Larson said ahead of the Cup Series Cook Out 400.

“We as a team didn’t execute qualifying, and then we had a brake failure in the race. Some things have been out of our control, sort of. And then some have been in our control that we’ve not executed right. But I think everybody looks at us, even when we haven’t been as strong here lately, that we’re still a threat. So that gives you confidence.”

The term “threat” is significant, especially considering Larson’s status as the 2021 Cup Series champion. And the fact that he has seen victory lane three times this season (Homestead-Miami, Bristol, Kansas), and showed elite pace at Talladega with a second-place finish.

But in between those achievements were painful finishes, including 37th at Darlington, 36th in Mexico City, 37th at Charlotte, 28th at Iowa, and now the bottom at Watkins Glen. Hisradio conversation during the race went viral during a tight race with Chase Elliott during Stage 3.

“How much ——- room do I have to leave people? …. I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, a good competitor and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere for the last hour,” he was heard saying.

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Despite the frustrations and mix of highs and lows, Larson still wants to get back on track and give his team consistency. “I would like to string together a number of good races here to have some momentum,” he admitted.

Larson has just three top 10 finishes in his last ten races, which could be disappointing by his own standards, but he remains within the top 5 of the Cup Series standings through 24 starts. The No. 5 driver has won 32 Cup Series races and 17 in the Xfinity Series.