“Wasn’t a Good Result” – Kyle Larson Unhappy With Hendrick Motorsports Xfinity Outing Before Playoffs

Going into the weekend at Darlington, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson had double duty. There is the first playoff race of the Cup Series on Sunday, but he had to race in the Xfinity Series on Saturday. HMS had not won a race in the Xfinity Series in the last 14 years but that drought will extend to its 15th year as Kyle Larson finished last. A host of mechanical problems forced the Cup Series driver to visit the pits far more often than he would have liked to, losing crucial track position and time as a result.

At the end of the first stage, Larson was well in the top five and seemed set to finish high up come the end of the race. But he never could have predicted the host of problems he and his crew would face later on in the race. From the balance of the car to the carburetor, the mechanics will have a lot of work to do back at the shop as Larson’s pre-cursor to the Cup Series playoff race ended in bitter disappointment.

No End to Kyle Larson’s Problems in Xfinity Race

When asked what went wrong with the car, Larson pointed his finger at the ignition first. He said that the balance of the car was off in the first stage, but they somehow managed to scrape a third-place finish. It was from the second stage that things started going terribly wrong.

While the car’s balance was fixed for the second stage, Larson had a bigger problem. He simply had no power with the car struggling to go through the first two turns. The 31-year-old said that it did better in turns three and four but going through the first couple of turns was a big problem every single time.

The #5 HMS driver in the Cup Series felt that there was something wrong with the carburetor, which the team did extremely well to change without their driver losing a lap, but he had lost a lot of track position.

Even then, things weren’t okay with Larson’s car. According to the driver, things got even worse for a while afterward as the car would simply not re-fire.

So overall, not the kind of day you’d want to have right before the first playoff race of the Cup Series. Larson was disappointed. There is no question about it, but he said that it was a learning experience for the Xfinity crew so that they don’t make these mistakes in the future.

“Yeah I’m sure they’ll learn from it and try to keep it from happening to the other Hendrick engine cars in the Xfinity Series so, unfortunate but you know I mean I think there’s a lot to take away from their end and the car’s end and so I think even though it wasn’t a good result, I think there’s a lot to be learned,” he said.

Larson will have to race in the first race of the Cup Series playoffs on Sunday. His team, Hendrick Motorsports, only have two out of their four drivers in the last 16. This is disappointing for Rick Hendrick, who is used to having almost all of his cars in the playoffs, but Larson believes that there is opportunity in this misfortune.

Larson Calls on Out-Of-Playoffs Teammate

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Kyle Larson and William Byron will be the two drivers in the playoffs for HMS, with Chase Elliott racing for the owner’s championship. However, Alex Bowman is not going to be involved in any of the on-track action.

According to Larson, HMS could use Bowman’s services to test any upgrades that they can bring to the car later on in the season.

Read More – Chase Elliott Blames Himself as HMS Falls Short on Monumental Goal

“I try to look at it as a positive in the fact that there’s gonna be even more working together I would imagine out there. And I don’t know what parts are coming or enhancements, but if there is ever something R&D, I think Alex could probably try that out and if it’s a gain or not, it could go in our car,” Larson said.

The playoffs will be difficult for every driver involved, but many believe that the Hendrick cars of Larson and Byron are two of the strongest in the field. How far do you think the HMS drivers will go into the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts.

Watch this Story: Chase Elliott Apologizes To Rick Hendrick And Team For Losing After Being Confused With HMS Decision