While the spectators might be fans of chaotic races at the Bristol Motor Speedway, it is clear that the drivers, especially the likes of Kyle Larson, prefer more consistent and stable racing. After a contest that could very much have been his first race win of the season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver had to settle for a third-place finish, yet he wasn’t disappointed with the racing at all.

Kyle Larson reflects on the new tire’s stability at Bristol

“I’m sure race fans are gonna have their opinion and want the chaos or the other stuff,” Larson laughed as he reviewed the overall race.

Goodyear had come up with a new tire for the race. This was key for Bristol, as often tire issues have affected the results of races at the track.

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“I thought yesterday after practice there wasn’t like any tire wear and there wasn’t like an excessive amount of rubber being laid into the track either, so the pace felt really, really fast,” he said. “I just [thought] it might be a really fast-paced race, which it was, but I think the tire laid down more rubber on the surface than I thought it would. So, it actually was easier to pass lappers than normal, so I actually ended up being really happy with the tire.”

There was no doubt that Kyle Larson enjoyed the overall racing experience at Bristol. The reigning Cup champ is yet to win a race this season. Despite a few consistent performances, he has missed out on getting into the Victory Lane, but today seemed to be a realistic chance for it. However, a few cautions and pit stops later, he fell out of the top spot, as Ty Gibbs ended up clinching his maiden race win.

Rick Hendrick has a tough day at Bristol

The overall weekend at Bristol turned out to be a disappointment for almost the entire Hendrick Motorsports crew. Alex Bowman, who was returning to racing for the first time in four rounds after recovering from vertigo symptoms, found no pace in the car. He was battling in the middle of the field, after being involved in a wreck triggered by SVG, effectively ending his run.

While that was rather disappointing, William Byron had started from the back of the pack, and Bristol, being Bristol, made it hard for him to gain many places. He had to settle for a 30-place finish. But NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott, seemed to be having a better day than the two of his teammates. However, a late spin in the race coming back on the throttle ended it for good. He, too, finished outside the top-20.

The only driver who had a competitive finish was Kyle Larson, as he ran a relatively clean race, and he had a strong pace. If only he had a better position on the final restart against Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney, he could’ve won the race.

So far, the season hasn’t looked very strong for Rick Hendrick. While Elliott did manage to win a race, and both he and Larson have been in contention multiple times, they will have to start pulling off better results if they want a realistic shot at the title under the Chase format. The Toyotas have been doing far better, which was once again proven with Gibbs’ win today.