Kyle Larson has shown signs of life with consecutive top-10 finishes at New Hampshire and Kansas, but he’s still far from the pace he had before Memorial Day weekend, when his season began to unravel.
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The last couple of races have been kinder to Larson, following a bruising first round where he finished 19th, 12th, and 32nd at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol. But the turning point came during that weekend, when his ambitious double-duty attempt at the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 turned into a setback instead of the boost he’d hoped for.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s pace hasn’t completely deserted him, as several top-five and top-10 runs attest, but the checkered flags have remained out of reach. To make matters worse, his usually confident presence in front of the cameras has faded, suggesting that the weight of May’s 1,100-mile gauntlet might still be lingering. Few have ever managed to conquer that marathon, and for Larson, it proved to be a mountain too steep.
Both efforts had ended in heartbreak. A crash at Indy on Lap 91 left Larson 27th, followed by a 37th-place finish at Charlotte despite leading 34 laps. Shaken by the double blow, Larson admitted it was a bummer and even hinted he may not chase the feat again.
Speaking with Corey LaJoie on Stacking Pennies, Larson reflected on the toll. “I think looking at the results since then, it’d be hard to argue that it didn’t (affect his confidence) even though I wouldn’t necessarily say I felt any lack of confidence. But my NASCAR stuff took a dip, my sprint car racing took a dip. I mean, it’s hard to argue against it.”
Larson then pointed to the stark contrast between his pre-Indy momentum and what followed. “It was just odd and in a weird coincidence that I was winning more than half the sprint car races, I was running in, and we had led 900 laps and crushing it in NASCAR to that point, and then I choke, I choke off that Sunday, and it was… It’s been crappy and it hits…”
“Everything was going good, but… So, I didn’t feel that way necessarily right off, like right after, but then you go two or three races in a row of like not running good, then it starts like pound up like, is it me, is it the car, what is it?”
Larson admitted the slump gnawed at him, leaving him frustrated that his extra effort wasn’t translating into results. Still, he’s convinced that patience and persistence remain the key. Trusting the process, he believes he and his team are still charting the right course. The only uncertainty now is how long it will take before the tide turns back in his favor.
