Despite having the wind in his sails after a successful campaign in Las Vegas, Hendrick Motorsports ace, Kyle Larson just couldn’t finish the race at Homestead Miami Speedway. With about 60 laps to the checkered flag, the scene was crucial for the 2nd running Larson and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. It essentially came down to the late pit stop, the one who got in and out of the pit box the fastest would be the one to take home the win.

However, running 2nd in the chase, the 2021 Cup Series champion made a critical error that later changed the entire course of the race. Reacting to the Blaney-Larson fiasco in Miami, former HMS crew chief, Steve Letarte gave his honest take on the incident, calling spade a spade as he issued his bold verdict.

Steve Letarte uncovers the cold reality behind the Kyle Larson-Ryan Blaney stint

Sunday’s 4Ever 400 wasn’t the race the community had in its imagination. Even though a Joe Gibbs Racing car won the penultimate race, the HMS fanbase was shocked to see their favorite driver and champion go out in such a fashion. While Christopher Bell’s stellar win was the highlight of the race, the event also had an anti-climatic last-minute twist to it when Larson got into the sand barrels with just 60 laps to end the race.

Battling for the lead, both the #12 and #5 cars headed into the pit lane, looking to roll off with the momentum from the fresher tires. It was the close and decisive pit strategy that would eventually decide the winner. Leading into the lane was the #12 Ford closely followed by the HMS Chevy. But the pace of the #5 got Larson into trouble as Blaney who was in front brake checked to meet the pit lane stipulations while Larson, trying to avoid a pit lane collision, swerved off only to ram into the sand barriers at the entrance.

This incident had cataclysmic effects as Larson’s “move of the race” was shot down in flames. Reflecting on the whole pit lane stint, former HMS crew chief and NBC commentator Steve Letarte without sugarcoating any of it said, “Without a doubt the moment was Larson-Blaney coming to pit road where Larson just misjudged his entry speed versus Blaney you know in the end I’m going to hang the mistake on Kyle Larson.” 

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The veteran gave a resounding analogy, drawing a parallel from a real-world scenario as he delivered his verdict. He admitted how if he hadn’t hit the barrels, matters would have been different, as while passing the #12 car in the pit cycle because of pit entry, the situation exhibited how much push was required at the moment. He further said, “We’re the round of 8, we’re not the round of 12 anymore, we’re not the regular anymore, we’re not the round of 16, the average is below average, you need to be above average.” 

He then concluded his take with a bold note, putting the blame on the HMS driver, saying, “Kyle Larson either was going to absolutely wreck Ryan Blaney or hit the barrels, he chose barrels but you got to  hang the mistake on Kyle Larson even though it was an impressive run to pit road.” 

Letarte applauds “conservative” Blaney for his actions

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Now, looking at it from both the driver’s perspectives, one certainly will get the obvious truth of the matter. The scenario was drastically different for both drivers. One was already locked onto the championship finale while Blaney needed to make his way into the final 4 on a high note.

And the Ford driver did just that. He did not let the heat of the situation get him into trouble, carefully avoiding a speeding ticket, and playing a safe game that got him a commendable 2nd spot finish ultimately earning him 53 points in the process. Letarte also chimes in on this when Nate Ryan mentions the objectives of both drivers.

He said, “A little bit I think is situational awareness and I do think Blaney was a little conservative which I applaud right? Because speeding there is just a mistake that they can’t have happen so I do think Blaney was managing it correctly but I don’t think what we saw out of the #5 car was situational awareness, I think that’s Kyle Larson.” 

What do you think of the situation that occurred and the verdict passed? Let us know in the comments.

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