Kyle Larson had an otherwise respectable weekend at Indianapolis. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
SPEEDWAY, IND. – After winning Saturday night’s Knoxville Nationals, Kyle Larson hoped for a winning afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Posting the second fastest time in practice and sixth quickest effort in Saturday’s qualifying, Larson seemed like a competitive pick for Sunday’s Verizon 200. Unlike last year’s race, the 31-year-old racer had a fast No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
In the early going, this appeared to be the case as Larson placed fifth in Stage 1. Little did he and his competitors realize how the 82-lap race would essentially be a clean and green race.
Larson inched his way closer toward the leaderboard in Stage 2 before he locked up his wheels in Turn 12 while running behind Michael McDowell, Daniel Suárez and Chase Elliott. That critical mistake forced the Elk Grove, California native to stop briefly before rejoining the field in 12th position.
As a result, Larson’s left front tire was flat-spotted for the balance of Stage 2. In spite of the error, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion rallied to a 10th place result after two stages, netting seven stage points.
From there, Larson had his work cut out for him in terms of maximizing track position. Falling further behind the trio he raced with in Stage 1, it was a survival of the fittest kind of race for the Hendrick Motorsports racer.
For a while, Larson was ahead of Martin Truex Jr., a driver he kept seeing for the balance of the race. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Unlike the Verizon 200 races in 2021 and 2022, there was no late race caution or a rash of grinding accidents that bunched up the field. Instead, it was a race of committing minimal mistakes.
The Stage 2 mistake may have cost Larson with a shot to potentially battle for a podium position. Then again, on this race day, Larson placed eighth, tallying his 12th top 10 finish of the season.
After clambering out of his car, Larson lamented over his unforced error in the third-to-last corner in Stage 2.
“I just made that mistake into Turn 12,” Larson said. “Flat-spotted my left front, which I felt like it could have affected my right-hander but thankfully, it didn’t. There were more right-handers than lefts, but all the left-handers I had no grip. So I was really tight. Just kind of had to get through that run.
“I gave up a few positions right before green flag stops. We cycled ahead of the 20 (Christopher Bell) and the 91 (Shane van Gisbergen). It was a tough race. I wish I wouldn’t have made that mistake, maybe I would’ve ended up third or fourth. Glad we were able to salvage a top-10 out of it. Bummed that I made a mistake like that, and we didn’t have any cautions to make up for it. It is what it is, just got to clean it up a bit.”
The error may have lingered in Larson’s mind after the race. However, a top 10 result was a good outcome especially with next Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen, a race he has won for the past two seasons.
“I’m a little bit bummed,” he said. “I made a mistake in turn 12 there and locked up. Went from fourth to 10th, then the race went green from then on. I don’t know. I’ll have to see the gaps. If I didn’t make that mistake, maybe I’d finish third or fourth.
“I’m bummed about that, but all in all, it could have been worse. I just have to clean up a little bit. All in all a good day.”
A top 10 result at Indianapolis was the result of perseverance and guts as displayed by Larson. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Given Larson’s athletic stature and ability to compete in grueling conditions, even Sunday’s race proved a bit taxing for him at Indianapolis. On that note, it made a top 10 finish respectable and motivational considering the lofty standards by the Californian as a consistent front running contender.
“It was hot,” he said. “It was way hot. Temps were hot, and then your body starts cramping up a bit. Your body starts getting heavy in Turns 1 and 7. Kind of cramp up a little bit. I was thankful the checkered came out soon. I would’ve liked it to get bunched up or have a pit sequence to shake the strategy up a little bit to get a better finish, but all in all, I’ll take the eighth.
“We’re trying to gain the points we can to move up a little bit before the Playoffs. Any bit of Playoff points we can get. Just keep fighting for that and try and close out this season on a strong note.”
