The Brickyard 400 is considered one of the toughest races to win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Only a select few have had the honor of kissing the IMS bricks, and Kyle Larson came close to joining the even more exclusive group who have done it twice.
Larson narrowly missed out on the feat after failing to get ahead of Bubba Wallace in the closing stages. Despite the limitations that make the track incredibly difficult, Larson disclosed what makes him enjoy the challenge.
Kyle Larson Explains Why Indy Remains Fun Despite Tough Overtaking Conditions
Larson was well behind in second before the Lap 156 rain caution, as Wallace pulled clear after the last round of stops.
When the first overtime got underway, Larson charged alongside Wallace on the outside and matched him through Turn 1. But Wallace found the edge in Turn 2, moments before a backstretch pileup halted the action and set up another overtime attempt.
It was déjà vu for Larson on the second overtime restart, as Wallace surged into the lead through Turn 1 and ended a 100-race winless streak. Larson followed closely behind, finishing 0.222 seconds adrift in second place.
“It’s just a difficult place to pass,” Larson said post-race. “But it’s also kind of fun cause the team comes into play and the strategy and pit crew and all that, you know, all that matters.”
Eight different drivers have won the last 10 Brickyard 400 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are the only repeat winners in this stretch. Larson could have joined them on Sunday, but he fell just short.
“There’s nothing you can do here (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) to pass, so no, I don’t really think there was anything I could do differently,” Larson said in another instance.
“I was second gear on the first restart, and honestly, that one worked out a little bit better, but he almost got clear of me down the front stretch. And then on the second restart, he brought the pace down a little bit slower, so I needed to be first gear.”
“It was kind of the same thing with me last year – he had the preferred lane on the inside and it’s really hard to beat that. … Regardless, proud of my team today. We just executed. I don’t think we passed many cars on track, but our pit crew did a good job, and our team did a good job with strategy.”
“Happy to get a good result like that. Wish it could have been one spot better, but congrats to Bubba. That’s so cool. This is a big race, and he’s a good dude.”
Larson, however, will be happy to keep his momentum going after a string of bad results. After finishing out of the top-10 at Atlanta, Chicago, and Sonoma, the 2021 Cup Series champion finished P4 at Dover, and is now second at Indianapolis.
Larson is currently third in the regular season standings with 711 points and three victories. He has also picked up 23 playoff points. Only Denny Hamlin (24) has more.
