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Kyle Larson’s High Stakes Misfortune at Vegas: A Detailed Look at His Unlucky Pennzoil 400 Run

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
March 17, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Kyle Larson’s High Stakes Misfortune at Vegas: A Detailed Look at His Unlucky Pennzoil 400 Run

Mar 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) leads the field for the restart during the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

High hopes were pinned on Hendrick Motorsports’ driver, Kyle Larson, whose past performances on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been nothing short of spectacular. Boasting three victories on the 1.5-mile oval, including last year’s triumph, Larson was tipped to be the one to beat. But lady luck was not on his side this time around. The 2021 Cup Series champion had to content himself with a top-ten finish, a far cry from his anticipated winning result.

While Larson has been grappling with his performance, his competitor Christopher Bell has been enjoying a streak of success with three consecutive victories. This has intensified the pressure on Larson to regain his lost glory and break his nine-race winless run. As the season advances, the question remains: will Larson bounce back, or will he continue to lag in the race?

Larson, for his part, is focusing on the present. He is optimistic despite a disappointing Las Vegas run, which was marred by unfortunate incidents that cost him dearly.

Going into the 2025 Pennzoil 400, bookmakers had touted Larson as the overwhelming favorite. However, the weekend got off on the wrong foot for the 32-year-old, who qualified 10th for the race, behind competitors Zane Smith, Erik Jones, and Josh Berry. Despite a shaky start, Larson began the race with a determined mindset, steadily climbing the ranks to finish fifth in Stage 1 and securing a win in the second stage, earning him 16 points.

However, his momentum waned as the race went on. In his post-race interview with Frontstretch’s Michael Massie, Larson expressed his disappointment, “The cautions and the strategy kind of didn’t play out in our favor. My balance wasn’t as good as it was early on in the race in traffic.” He lamented the unfortunate turn of events, which left him and his team in a predicament.

The race took a dramatic turn on lap 195 when a pile-up involving Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Ryan Blaney saw a caution flag raised. Larson, who was leading at the time, decided to pit and refuel, assuming this would be the final caution. However, with just 25 laps left, Noah Gragson triggered the final caution, Josh Berry took the lead with his extra fuel, leaving Larson in a state of despair.

Larson has been facing issues with consistency, a problem that has been highlighted by his 20th place finish at Daytona International Speedway and a 32nd place result at Circuit of the Americas. The season-opener was particularly frustrating for Larson, whose problems on superspeedway tracks continued at ‘The Great American Race.’ A disappointing finish in the top ten in Las Vegas is a cause for concern for Hendrick Motorsports.

The Vegas race was filled with caution flags that severely hampered Larson’s chances. He admitted, “Yeah, I was hoping for some green flag runs and stuff but we just never got those.” This final caution was a bitter pill to swallow for Larson and his crew chief, who were reminded of past failures.

Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniles, was left ruing their luck at Vegas. He recalled a similar situation during the Vegas playoff race, which was won by Joey Logano. “In the fall, I stayed at that yellow, knew I couldn’t make it on fuel, so I had to pit under green and spent all winter long beating myself up knowing that if I would have stayed out, we were going to be with the guys that ended up making it on fuel,” he said.

Ultimately, Josh Berry became the first Ford to secure a win this season, ending Christopher Bell’s winning streak. Larson, on the other hand, will leave Vegas with a bitter taste, knowing that his best performance of the season so far was overshadowed by poor luck. Was it a case of bad luck or bad strategy? Only time will tell if Larson can turn his fortunes around.

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