CONCORD, N.C.: An uncharacteristic mistake by Kyle Larson put the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion out of the Playoffs following Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Road Course.
Larson was one of the favorites to win the final road course race of the season and while the relatively calm race in Stage 1 and 2 seemed to have the tone for an easy advancement for Larson and his Cliff Daniels led team, their season literally came unraveled during Stage 3.
Briefly after receiving feedback from Daniels about saving fuel in case of overtime appeared, Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro got loose which offered little time for the driver to recover before slapping the outside wall and bending the rear toe link on his race car.
Unable to drive his car, Larson coasted to pit road where his team made the change, but the Hendrick Motorsports team lost five laps in the process.
At the time, it appeared Larson was still in good shape to advance to the penultimate round of the Cup Series Playoffs, but when the first natural caution waved late in Stage 3, it threw the race into total chaos with the team not knowing whether they advanced or not until they crossed the checkered flag.
Larson’s rival Chase Briscoe overtook the eighth and final spot of the Playoffs with a bold series of moves on the last lap of the race that edged the Stewart-Haas Racing driver ahead of Larson by just two points when the dust settled from the race.
A bold or brilliant strategy by Adam Stevens to take tires at the Lap 105 caution also sealed the fate for Larson and his championship-caliber team with driver Christopher Bell’s walk-off win in the cutoff race. Bell deep in the Playoff grid in 12th needed a win to advance.
With Bell’s second win of 2022, it also took a much-needed Playoff spot for the 18-time Cup winner.
After the race, Larson was disgusted.
“Just extremely mad at myself,” said Larson after the race. “You let the team down a number of times this year, and let them down in a big way today.
“We’ll keep fighting. We’ll come back stronger. I’ll definitely come back stronger and smarter, make better moves out there. Just mad at myself.”
Larson took solace knowing that it just wasn’t his 35th place finish on Sunday that eliminated from his contending for back-to-back Cup championships, but a year of frustration with an average finish of 14.4.
“I just made way too many mistakes all year long,” he said. “Made another one today. “Ultimately cost us an opportunity to go chase another championship.
“Bummer, but just got to move on.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
