“No Wonder the Stands Were Empty”: How Kyle Larson’s Bristol Dominance Aggravated the NASCAR Fanbase

The regular Xfinity Series field had no chance of winning at Bristol on Saturday. Every driver knew what their odds were when they lined up at the start line, and Kyle Larson did so along with them. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was making a cameo appearance in the second-tier race, and he fulfilled every dreaded expectation by leading 277 laps in the 300-lap race.

Fans usually love watching Xfinity Series races. The cars in them still echo vintage roars, unlike the advanced Next Gen cars or the underpowered trucks. Drivers overtake each other frequently and put up an entertaining spectacle. But all these factors that create the affinity became obsolete with Larson on the field.

There were times during the race when Larson had a seven-second advantage over the second-placed driver. This is simply absurd in a track that produces 15-second laps. He was nowhere close to being challenged by anyone and crossed the checkered flag with an advantage of 2.054 seconds over Carson Kvapil.

Fans were not fond of watching this dominant display and expressed their opinions on social media. One wrote, “Pathetic. Ruined the race.” That’s some blame to pin on a driver for winning. Another wrote, “Holy shit that race was boring as hell. What is going on with Xfinity this year man?”

The question stems from the poor display of ethics by the Xfinity Series’ drivers at Martinsville. They came under huge fire for being extremely reckless in their driving. And now, the inability to compete with Larson has cast questions on their racing caliber. One comment read, “Another Boring Race. No wonder the stands were empty.”

One fan had chosen to watch The Masters rather than the race and was left feeling glad with the decision. They said, “I have never been more happy to watch golf than today.” One more fan added, “Damn, I fought myself really hard not to fall asleep on that last stage… That sucked.”

Larson, however, was thrilled with his win. He paid it as a tribute to his friend and PR representative, Jon Edwards. Edwards had passed away in the week leading up to the Bristol weekend. The race was one of the three events that Larson was to participate in and win. He finished second in the Truck Series on Friday night.

With the Xfinity win in the bag, all that’s left is the Cup Series race. He has qualified in third place and will hope to replicate his performance from Saturday.