Kyle Larson was one of the key figures in the dramatic tale that unfolded in Richmond on Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports star was spun out by 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace with 2 laps to go in the 407-lap race. The late sequence of events brought forward a caution that halted the progress of race leader Martin Truex Jr. and reset the field.
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Denny Hamlin ultimately ended up being the winner and Larson finished in 3rd place. Wallace, who initiated the chaos, was left reeling in 13th place after losing time on the pit road. While Larson would’ve normally not taken well to being shoved around at a crucial stage in the race, he did not have any complaints since he’d been running in 4th place before the restart and gained a spot because of it.
He spoke to the media after the race and reiterated that he did not have any reason to feel ill towards Wallace because of his positive finish and even went as far as claiming that it could’ve been his mistake since he got loose towards the 23XI Racing driver. Hoping to ensure that there weren’t any hard feelings, Wallace walked up to Larson in the middle of his interview and apologized.
When asked if Wallace could’ve purposefully spun him to help Denny Hamlin [Wallace’s boss at 23XI Racing] win the race, Larson stood against the take. He said, “No, not at all. No, you heard what he said. If he was being intentional, it was to help his race, to get a caution and help his race out. It didn’t play out that way. It just is what it is.”
Larson and Wallace have had their fair share of troubles on the race track on previous occasions. Thankfully, the latest race at Richmond did not add to the list of their issues.
Bubba Wallace explains his late-race contact with Larson in Richmond
Wallace couldn’t get his stars to align after the restart and ended up tumbling down the order from 5th to 13th place. He told the press, as reported by Bob Pockrass, that his contact with Larson was the result of him getting loose. He said, “I got loose, overcorrected into him, spun him out. Karma is a real thing. I would have been content running fifth but just got loose and I apologize to the #5 team. It wasn’t intentional by any means. Karma is quick in this sport.”
Meanwhile, Wallace continues getting hurt because of pit road troubles and is yet to finish inside the top ten since the season’s 2nd race in Atlanta. He will be amongst those already looking forward to the next weekend in Martinsville.
