It could’ve been the second win of the season and as many in a row. The ingredients were there. A dirt race, starting from the pole, a fast and promising car. It could’ve been the night for Kyle Larson in Bristol, but then, it didn’t happen.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver ended up in 35th place after a contact with Ryan Preece during the final laps led him to hit the wall in Turn 1. He sustained enough damage from the hit to end his day. In fact, Larson and Preece made contact multiple times during the race, with two notable incidents in Stage 1 and Stage 3.
All things considered, the #5 driver was naturally quite frustrated after the race, which was pretty clear from a line that he uttered during a media interaction.
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Kyle Larson loses his calm with a reporter after his DNF in Bristol
Finishing 35th despite running in the top 5 for the most part can make any driver lose their cool, even someone like Kyle Larson, who is usually quite mild-mannered and reserved in his interactions.
During a post-race media interaction, a reporter got a little too close to Kyle Larson with their microphone, leading the frustrated driver to say, “Dude get that out of my f***ing face.”
Though he did not raise his voice to the reporter, the exasperation in his tone was evident after the microphone brushed his neck.
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Ryan Preece explains what happened in the Stage 3 incident between him and Larson
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In a post-race interview, Ryan Preece opened up on the incident between him and Larson that ended up ending the latter’s day. “I think you just get mad getting run in the fence,” Preece said as per NBC Sports.
“There was no meaning, it’s just from inside that race car you’re like, ‘I’m not gonna lift.’ When it comes to being run into the fence, every time you lift, if guys see you lifting when you’re at the right rear corner, they’re just gonna keep running you up in the fence.”
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Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece have had 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 in Bristol. https://t.co/FvM32VtQcJ pic.twitter.com/UD0gg2pAwm
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 10, 2023
As for what he meant by his “game over” remark on the radio after an incident with Larson earlier in the race, Preece clarified, “I think when I meant game over, I meant just not gonna keep lifting and giving that respect of, ‘Hey, I’ll give you this room.’
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“It comes down to that.”