When Kyle Larson claimed he was better than Max Verstappen, fans immediately saw the parallels—two dominant drivers leading the pack, expected to cruise to championships. But for both, things took a turn as the season unfolded. What happened at Atlanta Motor Speedway signals a shift, not just for Larson, but for NASCAR’s veterans as well.

This time, it’s veteran Kyle Petty raising the alarm, warning that Larson might be digging himself into a hole he won’t be able to climb out of.

Kyle Larson courts elimination

Kyle Petty certainly seems to think so, with the errors made in Atlanta possibly being the beginning of the end for one driver in particular. Kyle Larson said his crash in Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was a matter of briefly losing control, the result of a mounting set of circumstances through the high-banked first and second turns.

Behind the shining beacon of Joey Logano’s win is the error of Kyle Larson, one that might extract a heavy toll from the driver. Kyle Petty did not mince his words when referring to what it means for Larson.

He said, “We saw the five car at Kyle Larson seemingly running all by himself everything’s good that thing steps out boom he’s in the wall he loses 20 points.These guys have worked themselves into a hole and for me, these were three of the guys that I had possibly going to the final four. Definitely the final eight,  so terrible day for these guys.”

A veteran of many wins and high-ranking finishes, Petty speaks from experience when he comes to deliver this reality check not just for Kyle Larson but for Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin, three drivers who are favorites to contend for the Cup. Larson, most importantly, knows the importance of winning. His 2021 fairytale run to the title was defined by dominant wins in Bristol and Charlotte ROVAL. So, a DNF from a commanding position is incredibly odd for a driver of his caliber.

Kyle Larson cruised comfortably to the top in stage 1 of the race, pretty standard for someone of his caliber. However, in an unexpected incident, Larson spun out of control, smashing into the wall at 160 mph. The car skidded to a stop with flames lighting up the engine. “I don’t know if I blew a tire or what,” Larson managed to say as he emerged unhurt from the crash.

While Kyle Larson wasn’t hurt, he took out Chase Briscoe in the chaos of the crash, who fell to the extreme bottom of the pile at a score of -21 points. The damage is not any less for Larson, who sits only 3 positions away from the chopping block since he managed a single point from Sunday in Atlanta.

Kyle Petty’s criticism did not go unanswered, but it was not Larson who spoke up, but a different rival taking center stage.

Denny Hamlin hits back at Kyle Petty’s Atlanta critique

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While speaking about Larson’s misfortune, Petty also chose to speak about Denny Hamlin‘s choices during the race, blaming it as the reason for the loss of 20 important points. “We have Denny Hamlin where I don’t know what happened to Denny yesterday I don’t know if he spotted him a race I don’t know what he’s trying to do,” Petty said.

Kyle Petty was referring to a strategy Denny Hamlin employed during the Quaker State 400, where he anticipated a late-race wreck and based his pit strategy around it. When the gamble didn’t pay off, Hamlin lost 20 crucial points and now faces potential elimination—similar to Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team, Petty stated.

However, Hamlin, being Hamlin, has already responded and justified himself, saying, “I think teams are smarter now than they used to be and certainly, not saying that this was the right strategy, but it was the one that I wanted to employ on the day.  At Watkins Glen, we’ve got a new tire that’s got seconds of fall off apparently and if that’s the case, then you could be on the good end or the bad end of that.”

While pit stop strategies are often a gamble, they can be highly rewarding. However, Hamlin’s approach drew criticism due to the 20 points he lost. Both Larson and Hamlin now find themselves in a pivotal position, with their performances set to shape their championship future.

However, Larson, in particular, sees Watkins Glen as a promising venue for a comeback. The No. 5 team has historically performed well there, but he admitted that the anticipated tire wear at the 2.45-mile road course could significantly impact the race’s dynamics.

He said, “I mean, I think always that points are going to be on your mind a little bit, so I can’t deny that..but I’m happy that we’re going to a style of track that we’re competitive at, but there’s still the unknown of the tire wear and the hype behind the fall-off, which I do believe there’s going to be a lot of fall-off. So yeah, we’ll see, but I think as long as you can have a solid day, and hopefully we can gain 10 to 15 points on the cut line and I would feel much better about things going into Bristol.”

After the first race of the first round of playoffs, Larson is pushed back to the 10th position in the playoff standings, lower than all his HMS teammates. A win in the next race is a must for Larson, or this court’s elimination, as Petty stated.

Additionally, knowing its importance, the Glen is going to be a game-changer for most of the playoff drivers. Stay tuned for more updates.