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Yesterday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course would have left ‘Mr. H’ holding his head. Because one of his top Playoff contenders, Kyle Larson is out of the competition entirely. But he’s not the only driver of the drivers that the dominators lost. Because Alex Bowman couldn’t gain enough points to proceed to the round of 8 either.

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However, William Byron and Chase Elliott will head to Vegas as Playoff contenders. But the fans believe the current playoff lineup will do more harm than good.

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Larson got loose while exiting turn 7 and hit the wall with the right rear of his #5 Chevy Camaro, and broke his toe link. Unfortunately, the all-too-durable wall took away his playoff contention, as pit-stop repairs stole 5 laps from the team that dominated last year’s playoffs. Hendrick Motorsports just lost one of their fastest cars and drivers.

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But all isn’t lost, because their golden child driving the #9 car will still compete in the playoffs, along with Byron in the #24. Fortunately or unfortunately, NASCAR rescinded the 25-point penalty and filled their pockets by making him pay $100,000 instead. But he still drives with the #11 aiming for his head. And after he ruined Denny’s race, there is no chance the JGR driver will let him go without payback. Moreover, Larson has a lot more experience racing in Phoenix, compared to Byron.

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But the funniest part is, Hendrick’s appeal to give Byron his points back is the very reason the #5 fell below the cutoff. Essentially, recreating the scene from Tom and Jerry when Tom put a gun in Jerry’s little hole to get him, but the gun ended up pointing back at him.

Read More: Jimmie Johnson Sees Chase Elliott-Kyle Larson “Heated Moments” the Same Way He Had With His “Owner” Jeff Gordon; Calls Rick Hendrick the “Glue” That Holds It Together

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And that’s exactly what the fans think too.

One fan even suggested Hendrick should appeal for Larson to drive for the #24 team instead of Byron.

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How did Kyle Larson feel after he got eliminated?

There really isn’t much he could do after crashing. But he blames himself for the mistake, as he praises the crew’s efforts.

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“The only thing that I could have done differently was not crash and hit the wall and break the toe link,” Larson said. “So yeah, it’s all on me and then you know the team repaired it as quickly as they could, and yeah, then at that point they’re just along for the ride as far as points go. Just dumb mistake on my part.”

WATCH THIS STORY: “This Car Will Kill Someone” Fears Grow as Chase Elliott Slams “Backwards” NASCAR After Justin Marks Tussle

Would you have liked to see the #5 still compete in the playoffs? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

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Hetul Katyal

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Hetul Katyal is a NASCAR and F1 Writer at Essentially Sports. Currently pursuing his degree in Journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce. When the Stock Cars rev up, you can find him cheering Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch, in hopes of seeing one of them drive to the Victory Lane. Short tracks have a special place in Hetul's heart, but he gets really excited for Superspeedways, especially when the race is at Talladega. However, when the Formula One paddock gets ready to race, you'll find Hetul hoping to see Carlos Sainz stand at the top of the podium.

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Nizamul Haque Bhuyan

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