Before the weekend’s race at Homestead, Kyle Larson was vocal about the fact that he was not here to relax despite securing a place in the final four after the win at Vegas. And for most of the race, it seemed the #5 driver was set to go back-to-back. But with just under 60 laps remaining Larson rammed into the barrels following race leader Ryan Blaney into the pit road, ending his day.
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After the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver admitted to misjudging the situation that ruined an almost-perfect day to that point, stating that he did not anticipate the Penske driver to slow down as much as he did. NASCAR driver and analyst Parker Kligerman was not as harsh though, providing an insight as to why Larson was not entirely to be blamed for the incident.
Kyle Larson could do little before Homestead disaster, claims Kligerman
Although Larson did not have much at stake, he was on the top of his game, risking a move at a time when he was already in a strong position in the race. Unfortunately, the manoeuver proved too much, resulting in him exiting the race.
Kligerman did not come down as heavily on Larson as the 2021 Cup champion himself, posting, “Also a little insight. It’s really hard to see those barrels when a car is in front of you and the way you come on pitroad. Even under caution you will see cars suddenly swerve left.”
“Because the barrels stick out to the left a bit more than the wall. Obv Larson was a bit fast, but the sight lines are odd there.”
Also a little insight. It’s really hard to see those barrels when a car is in front of you and the way you come on pitroad. Even under caution you will see cars suddenly swerve left
Because the barrels stick out to the left a bit more than the wall. Obv Larson was a bit fast,…
— Parker Kligerman (@pkligerman) October 22, 2023
What did Kyle Larson say after a disappointing end to his race?
A visibly dejected Larson expressed regret for not being able to judge the gap correctly, stating that he should have done a better job at that stage.
“I was just kind of hanging on there at the end of the second stage and gave (Blaney) control of the race, and it kind of just led to this. Just have to do a little bit better job,” Larson said.
Coming to Blaney, the Team Penske driver sits 10 points above the cut-off after a sensational second-place finish. Of course, he was helped by the fact that the JGR duo of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. retired from the race with just over 30 laps to go.
Martinsville is set to be an incredible spectacle, with Blaney, Reddick, Truex, and Hamlin all still in contention for the last spot for the finale at Phoenix.
