NASCAR Update: Kyle Larson Claims Career First Wild West Shootout Win At Vado Speedway

Traveling between Tulsa and New Mexico for the Chili Bowl Nationals and Wild West Shootout is hectic for any driver, but Kyle Larson cannot seem to put a foot wrong. The Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series driver recently added another feather to his cap when he won at the Wild West Shootout for the first time in his illustrious career. It was a dominant performance by the NASCAR driver who drove the #6 car on this occasion and finished P1 comfortably ahead of Mike Marlar, who crossed the line about 3 seconds later.

Kyle Larson is known to be a driver who does not shy away from challenges and takes part in a lot of different types of racing. Ahead of the start of the Cup Series this year, this result will go a long way in building his confidence. It is important to note that the driver of the #5 HMS car will have a hectic season, and he is also set to make his IndyCar debut later in the year.

How Kyle Larson cost a fellow competitor $100,000 at Vado

Drifting all around the Vado Speedway, Larson had a field day in his #6 car. The former Cup Series champion emerged victorious in the heat race preceding the main feature and seemed unstoppable throughout. Things could have gone sort of awry during the heat race as there was a team when it seemed like the 31-year-old had lost control of his car and was about to flip into the barriers. Thankfully for Rick Hendrick’s Cup Series aspirations, that did not happen.

However, Yung Money’s win at Vado was not without controversy. With only 7 laps to go. he was running P2 behind a game Bobby Pierce. Leading up to the fixture, Pierce had created history by becoming the first driver to four Penske Racing Shocks Paydirt Jackpot features. The 27-year-old was in red hot form going into the feature race at the Wild West Shootout and it showed on track.

However, his dreams were soon turned to ashes by none other than Kyle Larson. With just 6 laps to go, the 31-year-old’s #6 car went into the back of Pierce’s #32. For a few seconds, it seemed that the 27-year-old had gotten away without any significant damage but it turns out that damage was done. One of the tires of the #32 was slashed due to the contact and Pierce fell down the field and out of contention pretty quickly.

Had Pierce won the race, he could have earned $100,000 as a bonus. His 4 Penske Racing Shocks Paydirt Jackpot feature wins meant that if he was able to bag $26,000 at Vado, he would have received the bonus prize of the earlier-mentioned amount. But Kyle Larson had other ideas and he came out on top in the end.

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Yung Money has been getting intro trouble at the Wild West Shootout

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This isn’t the first time in the Wild West Shootout that Kyle Larson has had a defining on-track moment with another racer. After his disappointment in Tulsa, Larson came back to New Mexico. Running in one of the heats, Yung Money had a last-lap run-in with Tyer Stevens. The contact resulted in Stevens not being able to finish the race and he was not a happy man at the end of it all.

“Kyle’s a better racer than that,” Stevens said as per FloRacing. “And it’s not like we’re racing for second or the lead, or even a transfer spot. We were both struggling, racing for sixth in a heat race, and coming into turn three coming to the checkered, he destroys me and tears his car up, too. It doesn’t make any sense from a racer’s standpoint why he would do that.”

Kyle Larson usually is a clean racer but the 2024 Wild West Shootout probably would not suggest so. He might not have caused either of the wrecks intentionally but it’s safe to say that both had significant impacts on the respective races. It will be interesting to see how Bobby Pierce reacts to his incident with the former Cup Series champion.

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