After a challenging start with a flat tire that sent him into the wall from 2nd place on Lap 47, Kyle Larson clawed his way back up to P2 towards the end of Stage 3 this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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However, in his subsequent bid to overtake Ryan Blaney, who was just 0.13 seconds ahead, Larson found himself squeezed between Austin Dillon’s lapped car and Blaney.
The tight quarters led Larson to a spin through the corner, triggering a caution with 13 laps remaining. The #5 driver held off from heading to pit road initially, heeding his crew chief’s advice to “keep rolling,” which resulted in him dropping only one place, with Denny Hamlin moving up to P2.
Ultimately being relegated to a P13 finish at the end of the second Round of 8 race, despite the setbacks, Larson absolved Dillon of any blame.
He stated, “I had to shot the win. So, proud of my ever there. And then yeah, I just bummed that they didn’t work out there in a three. Austin did nothing wrong.”
Continuing further, he added, “I was hoping he’d see me coming and maybe give me the top knowing that I was running there, but he didn’t keep running his line. There’s a little bit of a hole and I thought that might be… my opportunity to win, if I could get clear of Austin and get to the wall and who knows how exit four went, but… Yeah, just didn’t work out that way.”
While Larson was chasing victory at Homestead, his bold move ultimately led him to finish seven points short of the playoff cutline.
Kyle Larson in the move he tried to make to potentially take the lead and ended up with him spinning: pic.twitter.com/wyThVZpemW
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 27, 2024
Austin Dillon gives his take on his contact with Larson’s car
Starting at the rear in P30, Dillon had made some progress by the end of Stage 1, finishing in P19, and was in P23 by the end of Stage 2. But at the time of the incident, he was already a lap down and found himself in the thick of the battle for the lead between Larson and Ryan Blaney.
Dillon, pinned against the wall as the two leaders charged by, maintained his position as Larson made his move. Reflecting on the moment in his post-race interview, Dillon explained,
“Honestly, I was just holding my line against the wall. That was the one place I could just stay. I thought they would turn under me. I didn’t even know the #5 was coming, truthfully. In the end, I was just against the wall, and I think he got in hot on my left front. I didn’t do anything but stay against the wall”
As Larson looks ahead, his path to advancing hinges on the upcoming Martinsville race. With an average finish of 16.7 at the track and recent strong performances, including a win there in the spring of 2023, Larson’s chances remain alive as he aims to secure a victory to progress in the Championship 4.
