Last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington was chaotic, and not in a nostalgic, throwback kind of way. If you’re a Ryan Blaney fan, the final laps were likely heartbreaking. And if you’ve been on NASCAR Twitter lately, you’ve probably seen numerous conspiracy theories circulating. But Kyle Larson isn’t buying into them.
A Rough Day for Ryan Blaney, an Even Rougher One for Kyle Larson
Here’s how it unfolded: Blaney was extremely close to securing the win after overtaking Tyler Reddick. He had the car, the speed, and the lead with just a few laps remaining. Then suddenly, chaos erupted. Reddick hit the wall. And back in the pack, Larson moved toward the outside lane and braked in front of Bubba Wallace. This led to Wallace bumping Larson on his right rear.
Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy spun into the inside wall for the second time that day, triggering another caution period. The entire complexion of the race shifted instantly.
Denny Hamlin’s crew capitalized with a lightning-fast, perfect pit stop. Meanwhile, Blaney’s stop was problematic. He lost track position and finished the day in fifth instead of first.
Conspiracies Fly, But Kyle Larson Keeps It Real
And then came the “Wallace wrecked Larson on purpose to help his teammate” conspiracy theories. Many experts dismissed the theories, offering explanations for the incident. And Larson also addressed the situation this past Saturday before the race at Bristol Speedway.
Talking to Kelly Crandall, Larson said, “Yeah, from my perspective, the 12 (Blaney) and 45 (Reddick) got racing in Turn 1. And the 45, I saw him get out of the groove and he was getting ready to hit the wall and I’m so many laps down.”
“I was hopeful that Bubba was still on my right side because I started checking up early. And yeah, the contact was there,” Larson said. “Honestly, me just trying to be so out of the way there that I screwed up. I hate to affect the finish. It kind of is what it is at this point and just try to learn from it if I’m ever in that same position.”
Larson’s day began poorly when he wrecked on Lap 4 by himself. He sat inside his car in the garage for nearly two hours while his crew repaired the car. To return to the track, persevere, and then get caught up in another incident? That’s certainly running out of luck.
Just Another Day in NASCAR World
Darlington isn’t nicknamed “Too Tough to Tame” for no reason. Things happen quickly, and sometimes good drivers get caught up in situations beyond their control. Larson understands this. He’s been around long enough to distinguish between a deliberate hit and simple bad luck.
It might have looked suspicious at first glance, but according to Larson, it was just racing. And honestly, that should be sufficient for most observers.
Larson should not have been on the track since he didn’t even have a chance to gain or lose a position at this point of the race. He should have parked the car before then.