Kyle Larson discusses battling with Shane van Gisbergen: 'He's just really good'

Kyle Larson may have come up just short of victory in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Chicago, but that doesn't mean the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion didn't have a good time.

While Larson finished third, he was locked in an incredible battle with race winner Shane van Gisbergen in Stage 1, with van Gisbergen eventually passing Larson to earn the stage win.

On Saturday evening, Larson was asked what he learned from Saturday's race, specifically about battling with van Gisbergen for the race lead.

"I feel really good in braking zones," Larson said. "I felt like he (van Gisbergen) wasn't beating me there."

Larson then went into detail about what van Gisbergen does differently than his fellow drivers — and how it makes SVG seemingly unbeatable on road courses.

"Creating angles and shapes, reshaping the corners, getting leverage and position. ... I feel I'll be more confident making moves tomorrow. He's just really good," Larson continued. "He doesn't ever touch anybody getting by them. It's rare to see. It's fun racing with a guy like that and seeing it out your windshield too."

Larson and van Gisbergen also battled each other for the win earlier in the Xfinity Series season at COTA, where Larson came out as the victor. With Larson and van Gisbergen starting first and fifth in Sunday's Grant Park 165, Sunday's race may be another chance for race fans to see two of the best drivers in the world duke it out for the win.

The Grant Park 165 will go green shortly after 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.