Having previously acknowledged his role in Austin Cindric’s wreck during the 2025 Ambetter Health 400 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson reiterated his admission of misjudgment on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennies podcast. Larson reflected on the incident with the #2 Team Penske driver, sharing his thoughts and reactions at the crucial moment.
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He explained that a slight loss of grip and a lapse in spatial judgment precipitated the clash. Larson elaborated, “That was that was definitely my fault for sure. I had that run and I just wanted to take it and there was a moment where I thought I was clear. It was gonna be tight. And then I heard clear and that’s [when] my angle gets bad. And now I can start to feel him there and I’m like I’m tight.”
Larson admitted that by the time he realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late to avoid the collision, “And I squeezed him in the fence big time. Yeah, that was on me. I was hoping to just have that tight clear of the two. But then him be there to pick me up right there away. And it was just a misjudgment on my part…”
“I was surprised that he got to my right rear as quick as he did. He was there the whole time, pretty much… I feel bad about it. I don’t ever want to be the cause of a wreck,” he added.
Cindric had started from the P2 position and was leading with just ten laps to go when he evolved in a fierce battle with Christopher Bell. As the #2 driver vied for the lead in the waning laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the situation deteriorated rapidly.
During the struggle, Larson, who was at the front of the pack, forced Cindric [vying behind him] into the wall, which consequently led to a collision of the #2 driver with William Byron.
The aftermath saw Cindric’s car crashing into the inside wall on the backstretch, relegating him to a P28 finish. While Byron was able to nurse his damaged vehicle back to the pit road, Cindric’s car sustained front-end damage and had to be towed to the garage. What appeared to be a potential podium finish for Cindric concluded with a did-not-finish (DNF).
Cindric blames Larson for jeopardizing his race
Following the race, Cindric spoke to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass about his clash with Larson, not mincing words about his displeasure. He squarely blamed the #5 HMS driver, asserting that he was unfairly pushed into the wall and consequently wrecked, which dashed his chances of victory. He also criticized Larson’s awareness of the track, remarking,
“Not clear, not clear. I don’t know what information [Kyle Larson]’s getting, but obviously, my car was on his outside, so it definitely merits conversation. So, it’s unfortunate ’cause we led a lot of laps and had four of the fastest cars in Atlanta and didn’t win with one of them.”
Larson, for his part, mentioned that he and Cindric had not yet discussed the incident in depth, though they had exchanged a brief text. Larson expressed his intention to have a more thorough conversation soon.
Despite the setbacks of being involved in two wrecks at the start of 2025, the only good thing for Cindric is his position in the point standings, where he currently holds P4 place.
