Not that anybody doubted Kyle Larson‘s talent, but he flexed it in the closing laps, Sunday, at Darlington Raceway, with a daring overtake.
In the waning laps of the Goodyear 400, Larson ran second, trying to close in on Martin Truex Jr., who had the race in check. With eight laps remaining, Truex overtook the lapped cars of Tyler Reddick and Ryan Newman. The latter of whom is notoriously difficult to pass.
“Well, they’re both really aggressive drivers, so I didn’t want to get stuck behind them because I knew if I didn’t clear them then, I would definitely not have an opportunity to get by or get close to Martin,” Larson said.
So what’s his answer?
Thread the needle!
Kyle Larson demonstrates racing talent with bold late-race move
The bold move
Who else but @KyleLarsonRacin?! 😱#Goodyear400 pic.twitter.com/qLzjuVucCS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 9, 2021
With little to no good left in his tires and a aero package that puts the cars on the razor’s edge of control, he saw a door open and stuck his nose in between Reddick and Newman.
“It was pretty intense, but that’s what I felt like I needed to do at that point to give myself a shot to win,” he said.
Alas, nobody was beating Truex, Sunday, as he led 248 of 293 laps and won both stages, on his way to his 30th NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Kyle Larson demonstrates racing talent with bold late-race move
All in all
All in all, it was an excellent race for Larson. He finished fourth and fifth in both stages and overcame an early speeding penalty to finish runner-up.
“It was fun to come here to Darlington with low downforce,” he said. “During the day we were sliding around. I felt like we were not very good all day, but I passed a lot of cars and found myself towards the front. I was like well, I feel like I’m struggling but I fast. So, it was fun.”
Larson leaves Darlington sixth in points.
TOP IMAGE: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
