The Bristol night race got one of the lowest ratings all season. Because Kyle Larson dominated the field, it became clear that he was going to win the race. Without other drivers fighting for the lead, many fans found the race boring, and fans were very vocal about it. So does this make things Kyle Larson’s fault?

Since fans got bored because Kyle Larson dominated 462 laps in a 500-lap race, many started to point a finger at Goodyear. The tire company had promised a new compound of tires for the race; however, at the track, the falloff seemed less than expected. Because he had tires that lasted, Larson only made 3 speedy pit stops before winning the race. When Larson heard all the complaints from the fans, he stepped up to defend Goodyear, as he believed it was not because of them that he dominated the race.

Kyle Larson defends Goodyear from fans

Kyle Larson won the Bristol night race without being contested for most of the night. His finishing first also put him at the top of the playoffs, making him the new favorite for the title win. However, the number of fans that took to social media to talk about the Bristol race got to the winner, and he spoke about it in an interview.

After the Bristol race win, Kyle Larson made his way to speak to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. That’s where he told the host, “I don’t really ever get on social media anymore. But no, I was just annoyed; you know, like, there’s so many people in the industry that, you know, they see a car lead 462 laps, and they’re, you know, they automatically think it’s a terrible race.”

Many fans blamed the tire not wearing enough during the race, and to that, Larson said, “There’s never been tire wear at Bristol, besides one race in the last 10 years. So it’s like that everybody forgets about the past, and then too. So like, Yeah, everybody wants to blame Goodyear, and everybody’s got the answers and whatnot.”

Larson corrected the fans, saying neither Goodyear nor NASCAR have an idea as to why the cars did not run as well as expected. He also said, “You know, us, the drivers and the teams and engineers, don’t have the answers either. So it’s just, I don’t know.”

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver made it clear that he was not looking to defend his dominant run. He concluded his stance by saying, “It’s I’m just, in a way, trying to defend our sport and defend a good year, because they get such a bad rap every week, like they’re the problem of why racing stinks, so it’s not them.” 

Kyle Larson set the record straight, absolving Goodyear of any influence on the race’s results. While fans had their say, Larson’s display of dominance was breathtaking–a level of superiority not witnessed in the Cup Series in recent memory. And it definitely helped the No. 5 team’s confidence. Dominating the race by leading for 92.4% of the laps is something that was not expected from the parity of the Next Gen cars. However, Larson pulled it off. This win was Larson’s 5th of the season, and if he plans on winning the title, another win can be expected before the season ends.

Now that Larson is leading the playoff standings, he knew that it was a moment to celebrate. To make sure that this victory was a memorable one, he decided to take his son Owen on the victory lap. Larson gave all the credit for the race to his team, who did a great job making sure he had a car in which he could dominate.

Leading the majority of the race with 462 laps at Bristol has not been done since 1977. Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough pulled off a 495-lap lead at Bristol in 1977, and this is a record that no driver has come close to beating.

But we all know the debate is far from over. So, do you think that the race was boring because there was no competition? Share your thoughts in the comments below.