It’s fascinating how quickly the night can change in NASCAR, and Kyle Larson felt the worst of it during one of the most important Xfinity races of his career. The 32-year-old was on track to claim his 16th Xfinity Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway — bringing him a step closer to fulfilling a racing dream — only for Sam Mayer to derail it just yards from the finish line.
What Really Happened Between Kyle Larson and Sam Mayer at Homestead?
Mayer didn’t waste time taking the blame for the incident and said he hoped to speak with Larson after the costly mistake.
#NASCAR … Sam Mayer on his contact with Kyle Larson on the overtime restart: “I haven’t mistimed a restart like that in a long time … I ruined his race.” pic.twitter.com/tafiOF2lNF
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong)
“I haven’t mistimed a restart like that in a long time, and that’s why I’m so bummed out,” Mayer said after the race. “I know that, for one, I ruined his race, because obviously he’s going for the sweep, and I took that away from him just by a silly mistake, and I was trying to get everything I could get.
“But it’s obviously a bummer for both of us, and if I ever do get the chance to talk to him, I would, but I think he knows what happened. I just mistimed it. So, just a bummer. If I timed it maybe even half a second better, it would’ve been pretty good,” Mayer added, believing Larson had no chance of winning after the incident.
After winning the Truck Series race late Friday, Larson was just two victories away from achieving a triple-header sweep — an incredible NASCAR feat only achieved by Kyle Busch (and he’s done it twice). Following a strong qualifying effort, Larson capitalized on his track position to take an early lead in the Xfinity race.
Clutch when it counted. pic.twitter.com/6noKkP83P7
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity)
Larson dominated most of the evening, putting down fast laps and building a massive 16-second gap over second-place Mayer after leading 132 laps. But with just 10 laps to go, the No. 52 car brought out a caution with a spin, wiping out Larson’s lead.
The field bunched up for a restart with just one lap to go. As Larson got set to launch, Mayer made contact with the back of the No. 17, throwing off Larson’s acceleration and ruining his shot at the win. In seconds, Larson dropped from first to fourth. He tried to claw back, but there simply wasn’t enough track left.