Kyle Larson has made a heartfelt apology to Denny Hamlin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after causing an on-track clash.
The No. 5 Chevrolet ace faced numerous challenges in the South Point 400, despite being tipped as a top contender for victory. In the early stages of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, Larson nudged Hamlin‘s car up the track near Turn 1, prompting him to quickly say sorry via his car radio.
“I get we wanna haul — but I was on the 17, I had nowhere to go,” responded Hamlin. Larson’s day continued to be fraught with issues; on Lap 87, he had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to aluminium stuck in his car’s left front fender.
His team swiftly dealt with the debris and patched up the damage with tape. However, less than 40 laps later, Larson’s recovery was thwarted by a painfully slow pit stop caused by his crew’s struggle to remove the lug nuts and prematurely lifting the jack.
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NBC’s lead commentator dissected the mishap during a replay: “We’re gonna jack the right side up, right side tire’s off, right side tire on. The jack is dropped while he’s still tightening it, waving his hands, [the] tire carrier knows it’s not tight.
“They go to the left side wanting to know where the orchestration is, what’s going wrong so that slows down the left side. Then there’s communication to go back and tighten up the right rear.”
Several laps later, Larson had to pit again to fix another issue on the left side of the No. 5 Chevrolet. The mishaps piled up, dropping him in the field, forcing a fight through the pack. In spite of all obstacles, Larson clawed his way to a P11 finish in the South Point 400.
Kyle Larson suffered through a brutal pit stop that derailed his race (
Getty)
After the race, he reflected on his efforts: “It was a very tough battle, a bit of a fight all day. The first races of each round have not been easy, so [I’m] proud to get what we could out of the day.”
Larson has seen better days at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; victories at both the Pennzoil 400 and South Point 400 previously. Another win this weekend would have seen him match Jimmie Johnson’s record for most wins in Las Vegas.
Joey Logano booked his place in the Championship 4 with a victory in Las Vegas. The two-time Cup Series champion made the Round of 8 after playoff rival Alex Bowman was disqualified in the last race of Round 2.
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