“Maybe Now That We’ve Had It” – Kyle Larson Lets Slip Plans of All Drivers Protesting Against NASCAR as Chicago Conundrum Pushes Drivers to the Limits

The motorsports world was witness to a historic night in Chicago. In the inaugural edition of the Chicago Street Race, the expectations were quite polarizing. While some expected it to be a wreck fest with several cautions, many were expecting it to deliver in all aspects. Well, it can be said that neither of the factions was completely wrong. While debutant Shane van Gisbergen drove to victory and made it special, things weren’t looking the same in another part of the track.

One of the notable happenings from the race was a pileup at turn 11. With as many as 14 cars stacking up in an already narrow passage, there was no room left for any vehicle to come out of the pile. One of the many drivers who was involved in the mishap was Kyle Larson, who eventually finished in fourth place to round off his outing. Speaking about the demand from drivers to curb this issue, Larson spoke on the possible solutions to prevent such incidents in a post-race press conference.

“I should have been a little higher”: Kyle Larson addresses the chaos at turn 11

Hendrick Motorsports had a relatively underperforming qualifying session. Their drivers have been in good form in the season, with William Byron and Larson winning five races between them. So, HMS would have expected more from the qualifying race. But owing to circumstances, the team managed a better result on Sunday. Though Alex Bowman couldn’t finish the race due to engine failure, Chase Elliott finished third ahead of Larson.

Going deeper into what could have possibly been if not for the massive conundrum at turn 11, Larson said, “Yeah, I guess I’ve got to go and see what all happened, but obviously there was the wreck in 11, and I’m just slowing down trying to not be in it and everybody ended up just stopping to miss the traffic jam.”

Reflecting on the missed chances that the race presented them, he said, “I felt like we were … we should have gotten our spot back, which it seemed like they were letting the guys who were basically at a stop to miss it get up there, and then they left the 45 and the 54 way up in front because they happened to get lucky and get by it.”

“Then they put the guys who were in the wreck also back in front of us. It was just confusing,” added Larson questioning the decision by NASCAR.

“I don’t know what the conversation was like going on. It sounded like Cliff said that NASCAR sent out a message that the 24, 4, and 7 were in the wreck and they were going to go to the back, and the next thing you know they were landing in front of us. I think that was where he was really frustrated. It was just confusing. Also, I’m grateful that I got to blend back in where I was, but I still feel like I should have been a little higher.“

Read More: Chicago Winner Shane Van Gisbergen Nearly Fell Victim to “Dumba**” Bubba Wallace As His Bizarre Mistake Triggers Fans’ Wrath

Larson admits he couldn’t have won the race as drivers call out NASCAR for better planning

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With a good amount of sharp turns combined with narrow channels, the race provides lesser chances of overtaking opponents without contact. The weather also added to the risk factor of the race even before it started. The wreck between Denny Hamlin and Bowman in the 41st lap is a great example of the consequences of the same.

Kyle Larson conveyed that he does not have an idea about NASCAR’s next step en route to optimizing the venue for racing.

“I don’t know. I’m sure there will be a conversation with the drivers’ chat and all that. I don’t know, I think maybe now that we’ve had it, we can discuss like what’s the proper way to fix the running order. I think they got it half the way right, maybe. But it is what it is, and eventually, I was just like, screw it, let’s just go back racing at this point. We’re wasting daylight. It all worked out for us.”

Acknowledging the driver of the day, Gisbergen, Larson then added, “I think had that not happened, maybe I’d run one or two spots better, but Shane also was behind me, so he drove by me and got the lead. I wasn’t going to win.”

An honest introspection from the race by Kyle Larson surely. NASCAR needs to make sure that pile-ups like these can be avoided in the future. From the looks of it, NASCAR might plan to come back to Chicago next year as well. The drivers will be hoping that by then, the track becomes more raceable than it is now.

Watch this Story: Heartbroken Chase Elliott Admits Defeat Hours Ahead Of The Chicago Street Race