Kyle Larson Disappointed After Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Discarded Driver Ruins His Shot at Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Legacy

“Just kept my head down and kept digging.” Kyle Larson said these words soon after his latest Cup Series victory. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was on a mission during NASCAR’s visit to Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch was the last and only driver to sweep up a glorious weekend twice in Bristol (2010 and 2017). And Larson hoped to replicate that legacy on a mile-and-a-half racetrack – but in vain due to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s former driver.

The veteran driver set out on a three-peat journey at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Larson beat Layne Riggs with two laps to go at the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday. But what happened on Saturday dampened his mood for the Sunday race – although the latter turned out good.

Kyle Larson is visibly disappointed with ruined plans

Well, we all know what Rick Hendrick’s golden boy is capable of. When he puts his mind to something, he gives his all – like his historic attempt at the Double last year. So when one young driver threw a wrench in his plans the past weekend, Kyle Larson was not happy. Sam Mayer may have won all 7 Xfinity Series races of his career under Dale Earnhardt Jr, but he was also known for his aggression, which ensured he didn’t last long at JR Motorsports. From pushing Riley Herbst to bumping Parker Retzlaff, his antics were visible last year. Now he drives for Haas Factory Team – and this time Larson fell prey to his moves. During the Xfinity Series race in Homestead, Larson led for 132 of 201 laps and had a 14-second lead on the field – but a caution flag with 8 laps to go sealed his fate.

On the restart, Mayer was hammer-down on Kyle Larson‘s rear bumper, causing the latter to get loose. As a result, Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier slipped past and Larson fell to a disappointing 4th. This axed his intentions to follow Kyle Busch’s legacy. So even after he soared to victory at the Straight Talk Wireless 400, Larson’s vocal tones exuded a deep sense of disappointment. The press asked him if the Xfinity heartbreak still stings, and Larson replied: “Maybe as I go home tonight and I lay down, and think about the week more… I was pretty, you know, disappointed all of the time after the race yesterday.“

Yet that did not stop him from a spectacular run on Sunday. Kyle Larson started 14th and was not a factor initially – despite coming up to 4th by the first stage, he again fell back. But by stage two, he was back to second place – and fought with the front-row contenders until he emerged victorious. So ultimately Larson’s Xfinity blunder did not bother him on his path to success on Sunday. “Honestly, right now, I don’t think about it at all… I woke up this morning feeling, for the most part, fine. Motivated, but fine – kind of over the finish of yesterday’s… I’m just happy to get a Cup Series win there, they’re so tough to get.”

It could have been more tough for the No. 5 Cup Series driver. An opportune disaster befell another team’s driver, who was the biggest contender at Homestead today.

Larson transferred his Xfinity fate to someone else

Well, we all know what Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ex-driver did to fumble up Kyle Larson’s plan. Despite the latter being a dominant force during the Hard Rock Bet 300 race, Mayer’s moves toppled his plan. During the Cup Series race on Sunday, however, Larson’s fate befell Ryan Blaney. The Team Penske driver dominated the race – leading a race-best 124 laps. His car was the fastest as well, as he put his No. 12 Ford around 3 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. However, this spectacular run fizzled out on lap 208, when Blaney’s engine exploded. Plumes of smoke emanated from the Ford off Turn 4. This allowed Kyle Larson and his rivals, like Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman, to zoom ahead.

Ryan Blaney reflected on his misery post-race – which ultimately lent Kyle Larson the opportunity to win. “I didn’t have any warning. It just laid over when I got back to wide open down the front…Just stinks. Really fast Ford Mustang. led a lot of laps. Lost a little bit of track position with some stuff on pit road, but great race between me, Bubba, Larson. I’m sure Denny was going to get back into it. It was going to be a heck of a battle the last 60 laps or so. Just didn’t really work out for us.” Yet his team is looking forward: “We’ll keep our head up. It’s just one of those things where it’s not really going our way right now, but the good news is we’re bringing fast cars, and that’s all you can ask for, so keep on moving.”

Evidently, Kyle Larson was not the only one disappointed after the Homestead weekend. Now Larson will look forward to sweeping the Bristol weekend in April, in another chance to replicate Kyle Busch’s glory. Do you think Larson can sweep the Food City 500 weekend next month? Let us know in the comments!