The history of Darlington came back to haunt Kyle Larson once again as the Hendrick Motorsports star saw his Goodyear 400 hopes vanish early on Sunday afternoon. Despite an average qualifying session on Saturday, all eyes were on Larson to mount a fierce charge toward his second win of the 2025 season.
What Happened to Kyle Larson at the Goodyear 400?
However, in a gut-wrenching twist, that charge came to a screeching halt when Larson wrecked his Chevy, heading into the backstretch, leaving his car in pieces and his team in utter disbelief. Following the costly spin, Larson had a short yet painful message for his team. “Just spun out. I’m so sorry,” he said as he bid an early goodbye to Darlington.
Big trouble and heavy damage for Kyle Larson! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/E5Qgzbii0i
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 6, 2025
Larson’s crew chief made a hopeful call over the radio: “You’re rolling if you can, if you can,” urging the Cup champion to try and nurse the car forward. But despite the plea, it was clear the #5 Chevy was too damaged to move under its power, forcing Larson to wait for a tow to the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP) area.
After qualifying behind Christopher Bell and Joey Logano in 19th, Kyle Larson found himself stuck in the midfield and struggled to gain momentum early in the race. Just four laps in, disaster struck—Larson spun out of Turn 2, and the front of his car slammed into the inside wall on the backstretch.
As the #5 Chevy rolled to a stop, smoke crawled from under the hood, making it painfully clear that Larson’s race was over before it had even begun.
Interestingly enough, moments before Larson’s incident, FOX Sports commentators Clint Boyer and Kevin Harvick highlighted a key characteristic of Darlington Raceway: a notorious bump that could cause a car to bottom out. Ironically, just moments later, Larson’s Chevrolet appeared to fall victim to that issue.
Boyer was quick enough to point out Harvick’s perfectly-timed insight. “Kevin, you had just told us about how narrow it is over there. There’s another problem. There’s a bump, and the way that these cars run, a lot of the times, they bottom out. And it’ll jump the back of the car out from underneath you,” he said. When the camera returned to Larson’s car after showing off the troublesome spot, Boyer added, “Boy, that car’s hurt.”
Overall, Larson entered the Darlington weekend sporting a special throwback to Terry Labonte’s iconic paint scheme. But in what quickly turned into a nightmare, his race came to a premature end, cutting short what was meant to be a nostalgic tribute on NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend.