Larson comes close to a win at Kansas, finishes second
TRACK: Kansas Speedway
LENGTH: 1.5-mile oval
DATE: May 7, 2023
STARTED: 2nd
FINISHED: 2nd
STANDINGS: 8th (-66 points)
Kyle Larson, who started second in Sunday’s 267-lap Home race at Kansas Speedway, which is in close proximity to five of our dealerships, moved into the lead on lap five before contact by the second-place driver sent the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet spinning down the frontstretch. There was no contact with the wall, but crew chief Cliff Daniels called Larson to pit road for new tires and to add fuel. Larson restarted at the tail of the field in 36th position after the lap-seven stop, but was up to 24th by lap 20 and inside the top 20 only 10 laps later. When green-flag pit stops began at lap 35, the Elk Grove, California, native was scored 17th.
Daniels called Larson to pit road on lap 40 for fuel and a four-tire stop and, when the green-flag cycle was completed at lap 58, Larson was running 11th. He was able to grab one more position before stage one ended at lap 80.
During the stage break, Larson again stopped for service. A fast four-tire stop by the No. 5 HendrickCars.com pit crew allowed Larson to gain two positions in the race off pit road to restart eighth. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion was running in that position when another caution waved at lap 107. The No. 5 pit crew was up to the task again, changing four tires and adding fuel while gaining Larson three positions in the process. After the restart, Larson charged his way up to second before the field was slowed again for a caution at lap 138. Needing one more position to take the lead, the pit crew obliged with another fast pit stop to give their driver the top spot.
But when a caution waved with only eight laps to go in stage two, Daniels adjusted strategy and called for a four-tire stop. Nine cars stayed out on older tires for the restart. Unfortunately, a caution waved on the ensuing restart with Larson in ninth. The stage did not resume before the green-white-checkered flag waved at lap 165.
Larson assumed the lead during the stage break once the top eight drivers visited pit road for their scheduled stop. Once the race resumed, he battled Chase Elliott for the top spot before his Hendrick Motorsports teammate paced the field. Larson was still running second when another caution waved at lap 205. The pit crew did not disappoint, again allowing Larson to be the first driver off pit road. He restarted fifth – behind four drivers that did not pit – on lap 211 and was up to second before the day’s final caution waved three laps later.
On the restart with 47 laps to go, Larson quickly charged by teammate William Byron to grab the lead. Denny Hamlin soon passed Byron and closed within a half second of Larson in the closing laps. As the white flag waved, the duo battled for the lead with Hamlin pulling alongside Larson in turn one. Larson appeared to have the momentum off turn two but contact by the No. 11 car driven by Hamlin sent the No. 5 entry into the outside wall. Larson was able to recover and drive the final half lap to a runner-up finish.
QUOTING KYLE LARSON:
“I was really loose. I was trying to do what I could to manage it. I was really loose and Denny (Hamlin) was just a little better than me at the end. I haven’t seen a replay, but he was side-drafting really aggressively and he was touching me, it felt like. It just had me out of control, so I wish we could see what we could do.”
NEXT RACE:
Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet take on the “Lady in Black” next Sunday, May 14 at Darlington Raceway. The 400-mile race will broadcast live at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.
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