Kevin Harvick Astonishingly Backs Kyle Larson’s Near Detrimental Fate Amid Constant Backlash

At the Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson triumphed in one of the closest NASCAR finishes in history. However, there was a point in the race where it could have easily been jeopardized. As it turns out, the Hendrick Motorsports star was experiencing some very heavy tire wear. Somehow, he managed to hold on and secure the win, 0.001 seconds ahead of Chris Buescher.

Apparently, Larson is no stranger to tire trouble, as evidenced by his most recent issue in Texas. On that occasion, one of his tires was not secured properly, and made its escape for freedom. Last weekend at Kansas, though, Hendrick Motorsports elected to change up their strategy on lap 199, replacing all four tires to try and gain an advantage. However, things nearly fell into disaster territory when Larson felt his right front tire starting to wear down after 30 laps.

Goodyear is still in deep waters

Harvick, surprisingly, is turning out to be a good analyst right in his rookie year. While he’s been accessing the race tracks, broadcasts, and even criticizing the runs every weekend, This time around, the NASCAR analyst takes it to one of the major concerns: tire wear on multiple occasions this year.

We saw the severe tire wear around the 0.533-mile track in the Food City 500 throw everyone for a loop, including Goodyear itself. The director of racing, Greg Stucker, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race, “Yesterday was a drastic departure from what we expected.” Stucker said, “The goal now is to just try to figure out why that happened, but I think we’re approaching it really positively.”

But it looks like Goodyear hasn’t been able to figure it out yet. Harvick, in the latest episode of FOX Sports Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, said, “That race track, for whatever reason, has aged into being a very racy race track. I saw Rodney Childers posted a picture of the front of their car being all sandblasted today. He was like, ‘Maybe this asphalt and all these rocks hitting the front of these race cars have something to do with it’. I’d say you are right, sir. That does have something to do with it. This race track with the progressive banking and the way that the surface is worn out.”

Further taking a sarcastic jibe at Goodyear and how there have been on-track blunders in Texas as well as last weekend, Kevin Harvick unhesitantly said, “I thought Goodyear’s tire this weekend was pretty spot on. They changed the right side tire to what they had at Texas and somewhere else. It wore out at the end of those runs, and you see the right front tires’ cording, the right rear tires’ cording. We saw Kyle Busch spin out at the end of the race. You saw Kyle Larson’s car shot off at one point. Really made the handling and a lot of things going on with the tire wear come into play.”

One thing is for sure: the 2021 Cup Series champion got very lucky. According to Harvick, the increased tire wear made the race unpredictable and exciting. It forced teams to think on their feet and try to adapt to the conditions as best they could. For that, the Hendrick Motorsports team should really be commended for their effort.

Kyle Larson has another Kyle to thank for his win

Trending

Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family

“We Are Not Morning People”- Travel Woes Hit Home for Kyle Busch & Wife Samantha Leaving Son Brexton Grinning

Joe Gibbs Drops a Bombshell ’Without Warning”, Leaves Denny Hamlin Shocked

“I’m Happy”- Martin Truex Jr. Not Done With NASCAR as He Drops 8-Word Retirement Verdict

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Offers a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to His Loyal Fanbase as He Gears Up for His Return With Budweiser

As mentioned before, the #5 driver’s tires were fading at a rapid rate due to the track surface. So when Kyle Busch spun in his #8 Chevrolet, as a result, he brought out a caution period. That, in turn, equals free pit stops for the field, and Kyle Larson was not one to turn down an open invitation. Larson’s next challenge was to see off a win, and the only one standing in his way was a certain Ford piloted by Chris Buescher.

The #17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver fought like his life depended on it. There was bumping and barging and pushing and shoving, but Larson just about nosed ahead. That resulted in him picking up yet another win and Ford going winless yet again, frustrating them further.