At the end of the AdventHealth 400, Kyle Larson got put into the wall and Denny Hamlin definitely didn’t mind helping. However, Larson didn’t seem bitter after the race. Even after fighting hard for 30 laps, he came up short. I’m sure those two wins earlier this year help his demeanor.
In the final 10 laps, you could see Kyle Larson’s car getting looser with every turn. Things weren’t looking great for the No. 5 with about 5 laps to go. To his credit, Larson acknowledged that it was just hard racing at the end.
When you get an aggressive side draft and a loose car, things happen. Hamlin had a stronger car at the end and made sure he took home the win. However, Larson couldn’t finish his thoughts postrace because of the Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson fight.
It popped off and he started to laugh a bit, forgetting about his incident with Hamlin.
Drivers and fans love to see a NASCAR fight in the pits. When the fists are flying, eyes are on the screen and are likely to tune in a week later. The good news for Kyle Larson is that no one will really talk about his loss this week. It will all be about Chastain and Gragson.
This 1.5-mile track showcased the best of the Next Gen car. It was a thrilling race that ended with a battle between two of the best to ever drive in NASCAR. Given the frustrations with most of the season, this was a welcomed sight.
Kyle Larson hits the wall as Denny Hamlin wins AdventHealth 400
That postrace interview was revealing. Kyle Larson understood his position at the time. He knows that Hamlin is a hard driver to battle with. Given the fact that Hmalin didn’t have a win this season already, everyone kinda knew what was coming.
“I was really loose,” Larson said after the race. “I was trying to do what I could to manage it, just was really loose at the end, and yeah, just he was a little bit better than me there at the end.”
While he hasn’t watched it, he seemed to know what happened. This isn’t going to be a major issue.
“I haven’t seen a replay either, but obviously he was side drafting really aggressively like you would, but he was like touching me it felt like, and it just had me kind of out of control.”
On to the next one for Kyle Larson and the 5 team.
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