Kyle Larson added another Front Row Challenge victory to his growing sprint-car resume Monday night. However, it came with a dose of controversy when the Hendrick Motorsports star made contact with Ryan Timms while battling for the lead with five laps remaining at Southern Iowa Speedway.
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Timms and his car owner, Shane Leibig, were not happy with Larson and lashed out at him in interviews after the race. Larson was asked about the incident afterward and revealed that, while hurling abuses at him, the team owner had gotten his race wrong.
“His car owner’s upset at me, that’s fine. But at least get my race right. I’m not Chinese. I’m Japanese. Hopefully he’ll know that now,” Larson said in the post-race interview.
Larson’s middle name is Miyata, after his mother, Janet Miyata Larson. He’s half-Japanese on her side, and his grandparents were held at the Tule Lake internment camp in California during World War II. Leibig, however, allegedly called Larson Chinese.
The NASCAR Cup Series star, however, got the last laugh, reminding him of the mistake by winning the race.
Timms had started on the front row and controlled much of the race. He built an advantage over a field that included Corey Day, Parker Price-Miller and Danny Sams III. Larson, meanwhile, had started 11th after his starting position was determined by event points.
He worked his way through the field and moved into second, but with four laps remaining, Larson closed in on Timms and launched a move through the bottom of Turns 3 and 4.
They made contact, with Larson moving ahead while Timms’ nose wing got knocked askew. The damage dropped Timms to third and Larson took control, crossing the line 1.699 seconds ahead of Corey Day. It was his third consecutive Front Row Challenge victory, and sixth overall.
Timms was furious afterward. “Initially was going to try to drive around it and realized he wasn’t letting me give any room and I lifted, slammed on the brakes, tried to turn in, and he still just ran right over me,” he said after the race.
Larson, however, felt that Timms was simply getting nervous in Turns 1 and 2. He made mistakes that gave Larson the opportunity to capitalize.
The defending Cup Series champion, who endured a difficult 33rd-place finish at the Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday, accomplished what he came to do. He charged through the field, took the lead with five laps remaining and ended up as a winner in Oskaloosa.
The controversy will likely be a footnote for Larson. While the contact with Timms left plenty to talk about, he once again showed why he remains one of the most accomplished drivers to move between NASCAR and dirt racing.