The recent Xfinity race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway had JR Motorsports (JRM) written all over it. However, had Kyle Larson not made that move, a different JRM driver could have been in the victory lane, getting credit for the team’s 100th win.
Well, the 18-year-old Connor Zilisch never fails to impress. By winning the Indy race, his season tally is already up 5, and he’s only a rookie. But this race win is special because it was also JRM’s 100th win in the Xfinity Series.
However, at one moment, it felt like Justin Allgaier would be the one to get it for their team and not Zilisch. But Larson’s contact in the final stages ended his day. Recently, the Hendrick Motorsports driver opened up about his mistake there.
Kyle Larson Breaks the Silence on Locking Horns With Justin Allgaier at Indy
Here’s what happened. Allgaier and Zilisch were front-runners all day in the race. Allgaier took P2 in Stage 1 while Zilisch was P5. Then, at the end of Stage 2, both had a close battle for the stage win, but eventually Allgaier took the lead in the very last moment.
But then in the final stage, Larson had climbed up positions to also be in contention for the win. With 14 to go in the race, Allgaier and Larson started in the front row for a restart. The former was almost clear of the latter when the HMS driver got in the inside of him in Turn 3. This had the No.7 JRM driver crash into the wall, with the race over for him. Zilsich then charged for the lead and took the win.
However, both sides were very emotional during that contact. After the DNF, Allgaier said, “This place is just special, and I’m disappointed. Physically, I’m at 100%; mentally, I’m at 1% because I’m just so frustrated and disappointed, and there’s really not anything I can do about it.”
Recently, even Larson shared his take on what unfolded at the moment. He said, “I was almost clear, and yeah, he was just able to kind of get to my right rear and pull me back. He got drive, drove by me pretty quick where he just took enough air off my right side where I was just kind of along for the ride there. I was trying to miss him, but unfortunately got into him.”
Larson regrets having ruined Allagaier’s chance at a win. Given that No. 7 is a regular in the Xfinity series, and Larson was just there for a one-off performance. “So yeah, you hate to have that happen, but I’m kind of into my race there and obviously into his. I don’t know, honestly, I don’t really know what I could have done differently,” Larson added.
But still, at the end of this, there was no love lost between HMS and JRM. First, because a JRM driver still ended up winning the race. And second, because the HMS owner, Rick Hendrick, texted the JRM co-owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., mid-race over the incident.
To which Junior told Hendrick, “You put good race car drivers in good cars, they’re going to run together and sometimes wreck together. Larson’s a guy that’s going to lay it out on the line. I know it wasn’t intentional, and it hurts.” In the end, both HMS and JRM are partners in the Xfinity Series, and such things happen.