Kyle Larson Calls Out NASCAR’s Parity Thirst Amidst Surprising Goodyear Betrayal

Kyle Larson faced the second DNF of the season just when he was trying to win another race this season. During the Goodyear 400 race at Darlington Raceway, Larson’s left rear tire deflated in turn three, causing him to spin through the corner and triggering the sixth caution. At that moment, Larson was in the seventh position, displaying immense quality and speed to grab the first-stage win.

However, he could only manage to dominate the later part of the first stage by not letting 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and RFK’s Brad Keselowski pass through. But what caused the wreck that ended his run at the famous “Lady in Black”?

Kyle Larson did not expect to have a tire issue at all

The Frontstretch caught Kyle Larson after his disappointing exit from the race. The Cup Series table topper mentioned that getting betrayed by the tire was the last thing that he was expecting. He was trying to help his teammate William Byron when he realized that he was being held too tight in the middle. As a result, he got slammed into the wall, the car got significantly damaged, and the next moment, he was out of the race.

Explaining his misery, Kyle Larson exclaimed, “No, I didn’t really expect the tire to go. I hit the wall, the stop letting William (Byron) by. I just, I was trying to keep give him as much space to Bubba, who was even trying to race him off the wall. And then I just hung out there too long too high. Got stuck in the middle, hit the wall… I was actually really tight. But shred a tire back, it’s more difficult to pass; takes so long to catch traffic in next races.”

Taking a jibe at NASCAR’s attention towards parity, Kyle Larson conveyed that the increased equality among drivers leads to more frequent traffic encounters. However, he also pointed out that it often takes a considerable amount of time to get to that point. Even then, overtaking can be challenging and time-consuming.

Although he went out early, Kyle Larson, as usual, won hearts for the epic red-yellow paint scheme. It was a fresh change from his usual blue scheme. Basically, it was a part of throwback week, where Larson paid tribute to a legendary driver.

A tribute to Terry Labonte in Throwback Week

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Many argue that Kyle Larson exhibits the confidence of Jeff Gordon. But he also possesses a strong grit, similar to Terry Labonte. Notably, as a winner of 25 NASCAR Cup Series races, he competed in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, sporting the iconic color scheme of Labonte’s No. 5 car. The paint scheme was used by Labonte from the 1994 to 1999 seasons. An iconic memory indeed!

Larson was excited to finally be able to use the paint scheme, he had been aiming to run since his start at Hendrick Motorsports. He mentioned in a team press release earlier that it was exciting to have such an iconic paint scheme. Particularly because Terry Labonte was present himself at Darlington to witness the scheme on the track once more. Must have been a nostalgic trip down the lane for Labonte as well as his team. Could have been a better experience if Larson had stayed longer, or was in the victory laps.

“Yeah it was really cool to have Terry here. He looked really happy and really excited to be here in this spot,” added Larson.

It is hoped that his team and Goodyear would resolve any issues arising out of tires. On the other hand, it is finally time for Larson to step aside from the Cup Series and direct all his attention towards his IndyCar journey. Are you excited for his Indy 500 debut?