Kyle Larson faced ongoing challenges with an unbalanced car during the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, a struggle that began with a poor qualifying effort. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started 28th after suffering from a complete lack of rear grip in practice, ultimately qualifying 24th overall.
Throughout the race, Larson’s frustration was evident in his radio communications as he contended with a Chevrolet that felt unstable and unpredictable. Despite several near-crashes, he managed to salvage a top-10 finish, showing resilience amid difficult conditions.
Larson Describes Unstable Car That Struggled for Rear Grip
Early in the race, Larson conveyed his discomfort to crew chief Cliff Daniels during a caution period, emphasizing how unbalanced the car felt. He reported complex handling issues, saying,
I just feel really unbalanced. Loose in. Tight center. Loose off. I just don’t feel comfortable at all,
illustrating the inconsistent nature of the Chevrolet.
Daniels acknowledged the concerns and promised adjustments during pit stops:
Understood. We’re going to do quite a bit here when we pit.
Larson further explained that the problems were consistent with what he faced in practice, highlighting the lack of rear grip:
As soon as I lift off the throttle … no rear grip,
which made it difficult to maintain control. He added a warning about the car’s instability:
That run, I started off tight initial throttle, and then as soon as I get to wide open, the same feeling I have on entry, I have on exit. If I push anything, I can crash as soon as I lift or I can crash on exit.
Although Daniels made several changes throughout the event, Larson’s handling issues persisted. Reflecting afterwards, Larson called the race chaotic but praised his ability to stay composed:
We had a lot of craziness happen.
He credited strong restarts and track position for enabling his eighth-place finish, but acknowledged improvement is necessary:
Just had some good restarts, and I was able to kind of get track position. … Happy with the fight, but we need to be better here.
Larson’s Sarcastic Radio Comments Highlight Frustrations Amid Near Crashes
The tension in Larson’s race became especially clear after a pit stop on Lap 114, shortly following a near-collision involving teammate Alex Bowman and driver Noah Gragson. Against the backdrop of a chaotic event, Larson’s sarcastic tone was evident in his radio message:
What a race. Well, so far we’ve got one positive: We stayed on the lead lap and we have an opening in [to the pit box now]. Yay,
underscoring his exasperation with the situation.
Daniels responded dryly with, “Stacking pennies,” reflecting the limited gains they were making.
The race included multiple close calls, notably on Lap 5 when Zane Smith made contact with Larson’s car, sending him sideways and dropping Larson to 36th position. Reflecting on the incident, Larson said,
I got a good first couple laps,
but became unsure about lane choice and slowed, which opened the door for Smith’s contact:
And then, I can’t remember who I was behind, but I think I was unsure of like which lane to go, and I kind of checked up, and I think [Smith] was right inside me.
Later in the race, Larson nearly wrecked himself in Turn 3 and narrowly avoided crashing into Bowman’s spinning car. He described the frantic moments:
I was crashing myself, but thankfully got it well down enough,
averting disaster.
Recovering to Eighth Place Due to Tough Restarts and Defensive Driving
Despite the setbacks, Larson’s race recovery allowed him to finish in eighth place. He explained that passing was extremely difficult in the later stages, which helped him hold his position but also limited opportunities to move forward:
It was just really hard to pass, so people couldn’t pass me, and I couldn’t pass in front of me,
he said.
Larson acknowledged that the challenges affected his place in the championship standings, leaving him 48 points behind teammate William Byron. However, he emphasized the importance of team perseverance:
It’s really good to have a team that stays in it. … A pit crew that stays in it, crew chief, driver, all of that.
Coming off recent crashes in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, Larson’s ability to finish and compete strongly at Nashville represents a positive sign. Still, if he hopes to contend for the regular-season championship, overcoming the persistent handling issues will be critical moving forward.
