While Kyle Larson was shuffled to 18th for the finish, he was in the mix throughout Sunday’s race at Talladega. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
LINCOLN, Ala. – Kyle Larson may not perceive himself as a superspeedway specialist given his somewhat maddening results.
However, for the second consecutive time at Talladega Superspeedway, Larson was in the mix and dueling toward the front of the field all race long.
Like the spring race, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion started inside the top five, rolling off from the second spot.
Early on, Larson was shuffled outside of the top five before settling for an eighth place result in Stage 1.
It seemed like Larson found his groove in Stage 2, working with Chase Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate on building runs off Turns 2 and 4.
There were times that Larson and Elliott resembled a real life version of Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr. from Talladega Nights.
On the final lap of Stage 2, Larson and Elliott worked in tandem to net a Playoff point for their Hendrick Motorsports team. As the field rounded the tri-oval, Elliott darted to Larson’s outside, snookering his ally for the Stage 2 win while Larson finished third.
With 11 stage points in the books, Larson kept his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro in the hunt for a possible victory.
At the very least, he earned some breathing room had things went awry in the final laps at Talladega.
Larson showcased some speed and power with his No. 5 Chevy. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
“We were able to get some stage points, so that was good,” Larson said. “Stage 2 was working out. We almost got the stage win. We fell into third, but we were OK with that.”
All the makings were there for a strong finish or third win of 2022. Notably, there were no unforced errors on pit road by Larson and his consistently fast pit crew during their stops.
In fact, Larson won the race off pit road during the final green flag pit stop sequence among a bevy of Chevy and Toyota racers. Rejoining the field inside the top 10, Larson had an “oh my heart” moment with a bump draft that nearly took him out of the race.
“In the final stage, the pit cycle worked out well,” he recalled. “I just got squirrely off of (turn) two once and lost a little bit of track position.”
Still in the mix within the final 20 laps, Larson switched from his customary inside line to the high lane.
Unbeknownst to Larson until he switched to the high line, the inside line had the speed and energy to duel for the win while runs somewhat stalled on the high groove.
Rather than finishing with a top 10 finish, Larson was shuffled to 22nd before salvaging an 18th.
Certainly, Larson will move on with the ROVAL looming. (Photo: Riley Thompson | The Podium Finish)
Now, Larson ranks sixth in the Playoffs standings, 18 points clear of ninth place Chase Briscoe ahead of next Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte (2 p.m. ET on NBC).
Much like a moviegoer who hoped for a different outcome in the subsequent viewing, Larson reflected on what could have been with his late race lane switch.
“I made one bad lane decision and pretty much ended our race,” he shared. “I’m bummed at myself for doing that. I thought it was going to be the right move, but it ended up being the wrong move.”
