Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, was so good in the past season that there were times when he was out and away from the traffic in many races. However, now that his title defense begins, the Hendrick driver found himself part of the traffic in the midfield, frustrating him to the point of wrecking a fellow driver.
During the inaugural Busch Clash at the Coliseum, an angry Larson shoved Justin Haley into the wall, effectively ending his race.
Justin Haley into the wall. Caution. pic.twitter.com/qMGkGBo5PT
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 7, 2022
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Naturally, fans weren’t very fond of the champ’s antics despite the fact that this wreck wasn’t entirely his fault.
Fans react to Larson wrecking Justin Haley
Larson gonna learn soon lol, nascar comeback story can’t save him this season lol 😂
— ❧ꪖꪜꫀ𝘳ꪗ𝘴ɀꪀ ☙ (@SmallFemboi) February 7, 2022
Bro win a championship & don’t know how to act 💀
— Justin Champagne (@ChampagneRacin) February 7, 2022
Larson did him dirty.
— The Ultimate F-Zero Fan (@TheUltiFZER0Fan) February 7, 2022
Garbage move by Larson
— Jake (@fubbaquestor) February 7, 2022
Larson ought to be out for the rest of the race with a blatant retaliation like that.
— Jeremiah Jacobs (@Jerdanjac) February 7, 2022
Never know @KyleLarsonRacin to be a dirty driver. I’m sure he’ll end up watching the replay. An see @WilliamByron is what caused @Justin_Haley_ to make contact. An he wasn’t “Messing around”. He was fast all weekend.
— Adri Richards™ (@MrRichards157) February 7, 2022
Fellow NASCAR driver cites Kyle Larson as an example
It’s well documented just how active of a racecar driver Kyle Larson is. While most drivers take the off-season days as a means to recharge their batteries and come back stronger, Larson simply swaps racecars.
The Hendrick driver, more or less, is always in a racecar, racing for the wins round the year.
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Of course, this has made him a better driver, something clearly visible in the past season when he wrapped up an astonishing 10 wins. And it’s this work-ethic and all-out devotion to his passion that has made the 29-year-old a leader and an example to many other NASCAR drivers, according to Tyler Reddick.
In a recent interview, Reddick said, “When I think of somebody that spends as much time in a race car as possible, trying to learn and trying to get better, (Larson) has got everybody beat by a lot.”
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“You could probably add the amount of lap time or track time that he has, and you could probably throw five or six other drivers together, and you wouldn’t still get the amount he has,” he added.
“He’s just raced so much.”
Also Read: Why Kyle Larson Wrecking Justin Haley Wasn’t Entirely the NASCAR Cup Champion’s Fault