A win at the Darlington Raceway was something elusive for Kyle Larson. The versatile driver had never emerged on top at the track, but the wait finally ended. This race weekend saw Larson tick off a Darlington win on his list. Driving the #10 Chevy for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series race, Larson delivered the win after a close fight with points leader John Hunter Nemechek.

In yet another nail-biting finish, Larson had to face off against the in-form Nemechek, having to spin the latter into the wall to take the checkered. After last Sunday’s incident in Kansas with Denny Hamlin, Larson’s successive involvement in such a move has received some heat from the fanbase. In a post-match conversation with the 2021 Cup Series champion, team president Chris Rice showered praise and congratulated the winner. Replying to Rice’s tweet, team spotter Brett Griffin had a sarcastic reply as he took a dig at his boss.

Kaulig Racing spotter backs Kyle Larson as President Chris Rice gets joyous over Darlington win

The boss was quite evidently pleased with Larson’s win. Taking his enthusiasm and excitement to Twitter, Rice posted a video of himself and  Larson after the race. In a scenario where Larson smiled and nodded, Rice did the talking for him. However, Kaulig Racing spotter Griffin saw this as a chance for a witty response, considering that Rice seemed quite enthusiastic and outspoken in the video.

Larson had to battle his way up from the 30th position on the track in Darlington. At turn two, he went up against the #20 Toyota Supra of Nemechek. Larson had to endure a great challenge en route in a finish that has raised some eyebrows. The reviews from the fanbase have been mixed after the eventful win for Larson.

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Fans take sides as the Denny Hamlin argument resurfaces

As the pattern continues, the NASCAR fandom is yet again divided after the win. Larson’s contentious move to take the win has added fuel to the fire. Questions were asked, as fans dug up last week’s incident in Kansas involving Denny Hamlin.

Some defended the rough style of racing. A fan tweeted, “Wait, some of you guys are mad at Larson? For what? That was just hard racing IMO. He bounced off the wall and hit JHN, he didn’t take him out on purpose.”

Wrecks and contact battles are essential to the sport and definitely rake in the viewers.

“Hard racing just like Larson & Hamlin last week”

One fan has highlighted how Hamlin receives backlash when he does something similar for a win, but people defend Larson. He also adds that these races are examples of tough and competitive racing.

Some others joined this line of thought. One of the tweets mentioned, “I don’t want to ever hear how Denny Hamlin did Kyle Larson dirty last week. As evidenced here, Larson would do the exact same thing. It’s called racing for the win, and I don’t expect a driver not to do that.”

Well, a fan has even called the move from Larson intentional and probably a way to sabotage Nemechek’s race. He drew comparisons from Ross Chastain vs Hamlin last year to further solidify his claims, saying, “That looked intentional. Shades of Ross Chastain to eliminated Denny Hamlin a year ago.”

Over time, drivers have adapted to different styles of racing, and taken new approaches to it. Though many fans want racing to be cleaner, sometimes, aggressive racing also becomes the need of the hour.

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