Imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery, but not in NASCAR. When a driver copies the moves of the car in front, behind, or beside him, it’s called ‘mirror driving.’ And for some drivers, that’s a good way to stay out of trouble. But mirror driving has a downside: the lead driver often struggles to pass, change lines, or avoid their rival.
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Kyle Larson had that issue with Ty Dillon in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Larson had only a few brief sentences before ending the interview, probably not wanting to relive the frustrating time earlier with Dillon, grandson of Cup team owner Richard Childress and younger brother of fellow Cup driver Austin Dillon.
“I was just fed up with him at that point,” Larson said to Frontstretch.com. “He was just mirror driving, so yeah. It was just tough to pass, so whatever.”
It was tough to pass for Larson because Dillon kept being in his way, like a rolling roadblock of sorts. Even though Larson has much more talent behind the wheel than Dillon, there’s not much one can do when essentially there’s an obstacle in front of or beside you.
If Larson were to put what Dillon did into a nursery rhyme, it might go something like this: “Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to follow.” In this case, Larson was Mary, and Dillon was the lamb.
Dillon’s antics unquestionably upset and frustrated Larson, who still managed to finish fifth in the race — while Dillon was 24th. Had Dillon not been such an impediment or obstacle to Larson, the latter may have had a chance to challenge race winner Denny Hamlin.
Mirror driving was also crucial in the closing laps of Sunday’s race, as drivers were worried whether they had enough fuel to make it to the finish line.
For example, William Byron was having a good back-and-forth battle with Hamlin in the final laps but was ultimately forced to head to the pits for a splash of fuel, leaving Byron with a disappointing 28th place finish, rather than a potential win or top-five finish at the very least.
