Kyle Larson usually does not make a lot of errors on the track but he made a crucial one during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Monday. The mistake cost the #5 Chevrolet Camaro driver dearly as it dropped him from near the top of the regular season championship table to fourth. As Tyler Reddick took the checkered flag in P1, the 2021 Cup Series champion found himself 32 points behind the top spot. That is a big gap to try and make up in just two remaining regular-season races.
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The incident unfolded in Stage 2 as Yung Money compromised several others due to his error as well. He went from the bottom to the middle lane in turn 4 and put himself in a difficult position aerodynamically. As a result, his car did not turn how he wanted it to. As the #5 spun, several others were taken aback and had to take evasive measures. Some weren’t successful and it compromised their races. Speaking about the incident afterward, Larson took full responsibility.
The No. 5 goes around and collects multiple cars! pic.twitter.com/lEDsycXJZr
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 19, 2024
“Yeah, I just messed up. You try to get all you can on restarts. I was just trying to funnel myself up the racetrack. I didn’t want to get stuck on the bottom three-wide. Just got myself in an awkward aero spot and lost it. It’s unfortunate. I made a mistake and cost ourselves a lot of points today,” he said after the race.
Yung Money could only muster up a P34 finish, one of his worst this season. The aim now will be to gain as many points as possible in the upcoming races at Daytona and Darlington to try and regain his advantage as a regular season champion is crowned. The winner of the same gets awarded an additional 15 playoff points, equivalent to winning three races. It would go a long way in his bid for a second Cup Series title.
The difficulties of keeping a Next-Gen car in a straight line
Larson also explained how tough it was to keep his car straight after being in a compromised aerodynamic position during the 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400. The Next-Gen car is the heaviest that NASCAR drivers have ever come to deal with, along with the unique characteristics of its underbody downforce package which creates maximum amounts while going in a straight line.
Therefore keeping control of the car when it gets sideways is that much harder due to the loss of downforce, hence overall grip. It managed to catch out Larson as well who is otherwise known to be flawless on track.
“Yeah, I mean you get a little bit of warning right before you start spinning. But once these Next Gen cars step out, it’s really hard to save it. I was just doing what I thought would be right to funnel our way up and just put myself in a bad spot,” he said.
It remains to be seen what implications does this result have on the Hendrick Motorsports star’s regular season championship as well as his postseason bid.
