Kyle Larson is undeniably a phenomenal racing driver, excelling not only in the NASCAR Cup Series but across various racing disciplines such as Dirt, Midgets, and Asphalt. Despite his exceptional skills on the track, there have been instances where unforced circumstances have hindered his chances of winning races at the highest level.
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Looking back at his Cup career, we will delve into five of such occasions when the Hendrick Motorsports star and the 2021 Cup Series champion missed out on a possible win.
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin battle at Kansas Speedway
During the 2023 season, Larson and Denny Hamlin locked horns twice. The first came at Kansas where Larson was leading on the final lap but managed to get loose.
Thereafter, the JGR driver who had edged up close to him, contacted his rear end sending the 2021 Cup Series champion into the wall. Hamlin crossed the finish line and ended his 33-race winless draught with that one. Meanwhile, Larson was able to finish the race in the second place.
“One of the greatest finishes here at Kansas!”@KurtBusch, @ClintBowyer and @mikejoy500 break down Denny Hamlin’s battle with Kyle Larson on the last lap. pic.twitter.com/dDA8dRUCJi
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 7, 2023
After the race, Larson mentioned that he noticed Hamlin drafting aggressively in that particular instance. He said, “I was really loose… It seemed he was side-drafting me aggressively. I don’t know if he finally got me turned sideways, but turned me into the outside wall and he got the win.”
Larson and Hamlin get into a second on-track altercation in the same year
Several races later, the two managed to find themselves banging door panels once again. But this time it was at Pocono Raceway. With just seven laps to go, both drivers restarted right next to each other ahead of the pack.
Soon enough Hamlin was able to gain enough momentum to race Larson side by side. Although coming off of turn 1, Larson was squeezed into the fence by his long-time friend. Moments after the two hit each other, an unrelated incident caused the caution to be brought out. Thereafter, Larson intentionally drove into the side of Hamlin to showcase his displeasure with his move on his earlier.
After the race, the HMS driver explained that Hamlin “used” him up and that the incident really got on his nerves. While Hamlin cruised onto victory lane once again, Larson felt that he lost out on some key playoff points because of that.
Larson dives into the pitlane, bumps Ryan Blaney, and wrecks himself at Homestead Miami
Before heading into the Homestead Miami playoff race this season, Larson had already locked himself into the championship four. Hence, he did not have to race like it was the end of the world. Well, guess what? He still raced as if he was short on points.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver is well known for his incredible driving skills around this race track. How he can hug the outside wall and sail past everyone else effortlessly. Well, he could have won for the second time in the round of eight had he not decided to dive into the pits like his life depended on it.
Larson saw Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney head into the pits and in an effort to cut him off and get into pit lane at the same time, he forgot brakes were something that had to be used. Thereafter, a rapidly approaching Larson narrowly avoided sending Blaney to the moon and went head-on into the sand barriers on the pit road entry causing heavy damage to his own car.
Kyle Larson’s Watkins Glen mayhem
Heading into the race, Hendrick Motorsports arrived with a fast car and hoped to win the race with one of their drivers. Chase Elliott was the man everyone was banking on until his car lost the will to live mid-race after running out of fuel.
The team still had Larson, who was running up in the top five for the first two stages of the race. He could have stayed on and even nabbed the win. But Larson had other ideas. Right after the start of the third and final stage, Larson went into the pits and managed to get himself a penalty for over-speeding.
Thereafter, he was sent to the back of the field on lap 54 and his hopes of winning the race took a back seat. But again this was Larson, so he fought his way and was seen battling for the 19th spot on the final lap of the race. But on the very last corner, just a short distance from the checkered flag, Larson and Austin Dillon huddled each other into a spin. Thus, ending the race outside of the top 25.
Kyle Larson loses out on the 2022 title defense after problems at Charlotte Royal
Larson won the Cup Series championship during his first year with Hendrick Motorsports back in 2021. Thereafter, he went into the next season as a strong contender to fight for his title defense. However, his plans to continue as the reigning champion in 2022 came crashing down at the round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte Roval.
Coming off of turn 7 Larson impacted the wall and in the process broke his right rear toe link. He limped back to the pits in a bid to repair his car and get back on the race track. When he did return to the track, his car was no longer at peak competitive levels and ended up finishing the race in 35th place.
Had he not made that one mistake, he could have carried on since he was well above the cutline prior to the incident. Alas, it was a costly affair for both Larson and his team. Later on, speaking with the press, he called the situation to be “Just a dumb mistake on my part.” That season Larson had two wins under his belt but also six DNFs to his name as well. But it was that one error that ruined an entire year’s worth of work.
