Kyle Larson hosted the FloRacing Kyle Larson Late Model Challenge and Thursday night he wins his own event at BullsGap Raceway.
With a flat left rear tire crossing the line, Larson was able to hold on and grab the $20,000 payday in his own event.
Possible race of the year candidate as Larson and Jonathan Davenport battled for the win in what was 50 green flag laps. Larson lost the lead to Davenport with 15 laps to go. He was able to get the lead back after throwing slider after slider on Davenport. With 10 laps left Larson got the top spot and made his seventh slider in a row work.
Larson would throw a slider in turn one and two, Davenport would drive around him down the back stretch. Then Larson tried to do it again but couldn’t prevail. Finally he made one stick, ripped the spoiler off the car and drove past Davenport and into the lead.
“I think with Jonathan out in front of me it makes you want it even more because he’s so damn good,” Larson said on FloRacing after the win. “What a hell of a race there. Every late model race I’ve been in this year has been wild and fun. What an awesome track.”
🏁 After an epic battle of sliders, @KyleLarsonRacin beats @TheFast49 to win the second annual Kyle Larson Late Model Challenge! @TheGap_VolSpdwy
📺 https://t.co/M6Ba3HogDC pic.twitter.com/DgykPKcrTk
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) April 7, 2023
Davenport led the first few laps before Larson used the top of the race track to get around ‘Superman’. Then after heavy lap traffic slowed the Rumley No. 6, Davenport got the lead right back. Larson wasted no time dialing up the haymakers. He threw one right as the two cleared traffic in turn one. Then again the next time around and another in turn three.
He backed off for one lap before trying it again. One, two, three slide jobs later, Larson cleared Davenport and took off from there leading the final ten laps untouched.
No one was using the top side throughout the heats and B-Main, but Larson committed to it and it led to him grabbing the win. A true commitment from Larson led to him ripping the cushion to victory on Thursday night. He felt it would be there but someone had to go try it first and it paid off in the end.
“I knew the top was going to be good all night. it was just going to take someone to go up there and clean it off. I told myself before the feature that I was going to commit to it and try and catch Jonathan before his stick guys tell him to move up,” Larson said. “Was able to do that and I could see his nose. I made a mistake and went to the bottom to get by a lapper and I’d been stuck behind him for 10 or 12 laps and he ripped by me.
“Luckily my pace was still good and he was not running against the cushion quite that much in three and four until I started throwing some more sliders at him. He just kept getting tight up there. Glad I could clear him and glad there was no cautions that came out because I didn’t know what to do if we were to get a restart.”
While the show was taking place up front, Dale McDowell was slowly but steadily making his way to the front. He got around Mike Marlar and set his sights on the battle for the lead.
After Davenport was passed by Larson with 10 to go, Davenport’s tires were burned up and that allowed McDowell to catch and pass Davenport late. McDowell had the best seat in the house to the slide job show that Davenport and Larson were putting on. Once that settled down, McDowell turned it up and pounced when he had the opportunity. Just too much traffic wouldn’t allow him to battle for the win with Larson.
Other highlights of the night included Kyle Busch running into the 16th position after getting a provisional starting spot. The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Champion was able to get better as the night went on. Larson after the race also credited Busch and other NASCAR star Chase Briscoe for running the event.
“Thanks to Kyle Buch and Chase Briscoe for coming out and trying figure these things out,” Larson said. “These are the hardest cars I’ve ever driven and for them to just show up one night it’s tough but they did a good job. Kyle got better every time he hit the track, Chase did a really good job too. Look forward to hopefully getting some more Cup guys to try these Late Models.”
Kyle Larson Late Model Challenge Feature Results
|
1 |
6 |
Kyle Larson |
|
2 |
17M |
Dale McDowell |
|
3 |
49 |
Jonathan Davenport |
|
4 |
157 |
Mike Marlar |
|
5 |
44 |
Chris Madden |
|
6 |
1 |
Hudson O’Neal |
|
7 |
7 |
Ricky Weiss |
|
8 |
83 |
Jensen Ford |
|
9 |
24D |
Michael Brown |
|
10 |
76 |
Brandon Overton |
|
11 |
79 |
Ross Bailes |
|
12 |
99 |
Camaron Marlar |
|
13 |
96V |
Tanner English |
|
14 |
55 |
Benji Hicks |
|
15 |
31 |
Tyler Millwood |
|
16 |
76B |
Kyle Busch |
|
17 |
18D |
Daulton Wilson |
|
18 |
14 |
Chase Briscoe |
|
19 |
101 |
Forrest Trent |
|
20 |
109 |
Eli Beets |
|
21 |
1T |
Tyler Erb |
|
22 |
20 |
Jimmy Owens |
|
23 |
16 |
Sam Seawright |
|
24 |
20RT |
Ricky Thornton, Jr. |
