Kyle Larson had to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race while holding off Austin Dillon and Daniel Suarez in a five-lap shootout.
While the final stint was as wild as it gets, the restart was caused by a spin from Larson’s teammate Chase Elliott.
The contact came with Elliott looking to go to the outside of Larson, but the driver of the No. 5 car said he didn’t know he was there.
“So I didn’t get through 3 and 4 very well,” Larson told reporters after the race. “Joey did a good job on the bottom, and then we were side drafting each other, and I’m not even looking in my mirror at that point because all I’m worried about is Joey and I’m looking out of my A-post window. I had a run, so I went to peel off, and as soon as I peeled off, my spotter is yelling, “Outside! Outside! Outside!” And I had no clue he was even coming.”
Here's the contact that Kyle Larson made with Chase Elliott that's being referenced.
🎥 @NASCARONFOXpic.twitter.com/kVeH5C2LFI
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) February 28, 2022
Larson took hold of the lead while Elliott faded after hitting the wall.
He tried to nurse the car home, but ended up causing the caution that set up the final restart.
Chase Elliott said on the radio that if the car broke after hitting the wall it broke. He wanted to try and nurse it to the finish.
Essentially, had Larson not gotten into him, he might have brought it down pit road rather than try and run it home. Tension is tight at HMS. https://t.co/dOw3Udp3Uz
— Connor Ferguson (@cfchangs9) February 28, 2022
Larson continued on about Elliott in the press conference:
“Yeah, I mean, I hate that I ended his day after they worked so hard to get back to the lead lap and back in contention to win, but it was just an honest mistake on probably both of our faults. I should have had more awareness in my mirror. My spotter could have told me he was coming with a big run, and we would have avoided that mess. I would have probably not been side drafting on Joey as hard as I was. I would have been more so protecting on Chase than worrying about Joey.”
The No. 5 team’s spotter Tyler Monn also posted this tweet regarding what happened:
Today I made a mistake. I will take full responsibility for what happen on track today. I was worried more about the 22 and not the 9. It was a late call on me it had nothing to do with Kyle.
— Tyler Monn (@TylerMonn) February 28, 2022
Thankfully, for the Hendrick Motorsports strategic employees, Larson won and any internal conflict will at least have the constant of the result of the race.
At the very least, though, things could get interesting off-the-track this week.
NASCAR Cup Series Results
Wise Power 400
Auto Club Speedway
1. Kyle Larson
2. Austin Dillon
3. Erik Jones
4. Daniel Suarez
5. Joey Logano
6. Aric Almirola
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Kurt Busch
9. Daniel Hemric
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
11. Cole Custer
12. Austin Cindric
13. Martin Truex Jr.
14. Kyle Busch
15. Denny Hamlin
16. Chase Briscoe
17. Ty Dillon
18. Ryan Blaney
19. Bubba Wallace
20. Todd Gilliland
21. Garrett Smithley
22. BJ McLeod
23. Justin Haley
24. Tyler Reddick
25. Alex Bowman
26. Chase Elliott
27. Brad Keselowski
28. Corey LaJoie
29. Ross Chastain
30. Josh Bilicki
31. Michael McDowell
32. Cody Ware
33. Harrison Burton
34. William Byron
35. Chris Buescher
36. Christopher Bell
