Kyle Larson’s bid for a third consecutive win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway came to an unceremonious end on Sunday, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver settled for an 11th-place finish. After a string of bad luck to kick off playoff rounds, the No. 5 team salvaged what could have been a disastrous afternoon. Despite early speed, pit road misfortunes, and a mid-race struggle to stay on the lead lap, Larson fought his way back to salvage a result that kept him in the championship hunt.
“It’s good to get out of here with something better than we’ve had to start the first two rounds,” Larson said. “It hasn’t been easy for us in these first races, but we did a good job fighting back to get to an 11th-place finish. So, I’m happy about that and, for the most part, keeping our heads in the game. It could have been a lot worse.”
Larson’s post-season thus far has been plagued by setbacks. He crashed out in Atlanta during the Round of 16 and endured a flat tire at Kansas to start the Round of 12. Las Vegas was more of the same, despite initially showing promise as Larson ran inside the top 10 early in the race.
The first sign of trouble came when Larson had to make an extra pit stop during Stage 2 to repair damage on the left front grille. He fell a lap down during this sequence, compounded by a messy pit stop where a rear tire wasn’t properly changed, leaving the No. 5 in 30th by the end of the second stage.
The day seemed headed for disaster, but a late caution for Ty Gibbs gave Larson the free pass to get back on the lead lap. From there, Larson clawed his way back through the field, eventually securing an 11th-place finish.
“We just kind of had a bad end of the first stage, and then we had to fix the damage,” Larson explained. “I think I got to eighth before the green flag cycle and thought we’d finish third or fourth, but then we had the biggest mess of a pit stop that I think I’ve ever seen. Thankfully, I didn’t go two laps down.”
Larson’s effort paid off in the standings as he extended his points cushion over the playoff cutline—though only by two points. With two races left in the Round of 8, Larson sits 35 points above the elimination zone.
Despite the chaos in Las Vegas, Larson remains focused on the races ahead, knowing that perfection is crucial if he’s to keep his championship hopes alive.
