With 60 laps remaining in the Iowa Corn 350, Kyle Larson sat poised inside the top five—until Chase Elliott’s No. 9 clipped his left front entering Turn 1. On the narrow 0.875-mile oval where clean air and the bottom groove are vital, that bump sent Larson sliding from fifth to twelfth almost instantly. After a point, his composure cracked, too: “How much f—— room do I have to leave people? I’ve been trying to be a good teammate, a good competitor, and it hasn’t gotten me anywhere for the last hour.”

After securing a strong qualifying spot in third and ending Stage 1 in sixth, Larson found himself beleaguered in the middle lanes during Stage 2. On a restart, Chase Elliott clipped Larson’s left-front tire while attempting a three-wide move. Larson was up high, with Chase Briscoe squeezed inside, causing the No. 5 Camaro to skid sideways. Despite regaining control, Larson immediately reported handling issues over the radio, signaling the beginning of a race unraveling bit by bit. 

Just 20 laps after that, the duo tangled again on another restart, each fighting for the same patch of track in the middle groove—a battle that fueled rivalry concerns between HMS teammates. The final spark came in the closing stage, with fewer than 100 laps remaining. Larson, running sixth, was battling Christopher Bell when Bell’s No. 20 Toyota snapped loose and clipped Larson’s left side, nearly sending him into the wall and breaking his composure. That was the moment Larson’s frustrations boiled over into the famous radio tirade. He ultimately limped home in 28th, while Elliott finished 14th. It marked Larson’s fifth finish of 13th or worse over the last eight races, dating back to mid-June in Mexico City. But when asked about the chaos directly, Larson brushed it off quite calmly.

“Everybody’s making a big deal about Chase. I really wasn’t that mad at Chase. After seeing the replays and stuff, I was less frustrated. I move on from things quickly. I don’t really even think that there was a need for a conversation. I’ve ran into him way more. So, I’m all good and moved on from it. I’ve raced quite a bit since then and honestly, I’ve forgotten about it,” he shared with FrontStretch. But when asked about what led to the moment of outburst, Larson admitted:

“I wasn’t all good, especially after watching the replays and stuff. It wasn’t what I thought it was from the seat. And I was less frustrated with him than I was with others. It was just everything kind of compiled, and I was trying to keep it cool, and then I just exploded.” Through it all, he emphasized that what looked like teammate drama from the outside was, in reality, just a heat-of-the-moment reaction to a messy race.

Now, with the Watkins Glen race looming, his focus is squarely on the bigger picture. Larson is looking to maximize points for the regular season championship as he sits third behind Byron and Elliott currently. Plus, he is also looking to secure momentum heading into the playoffs. As far as he’s concerned, Iowa’s fireworks are already yesterday’s news.

Larson faces uphill battle at Watkins Glen

With just three races left in the regular season, Kyle Larson’s championship hopes are very much alive. But he’s got work to do. Sitting 45 points behind points leader William Byron and only 18 points back from teammate Chase Elliott, every stage point and position on track matters. Watkins Glen offers an opportunity to make up ground.

But Kyle Larson hasn’t exactly made life easy for himself. A subpar qualifying run on Saturday will see him roll off 27th, well behind Byron in 10th and Elliott in 20th. If Larson’s going to cut into the gap, he’ll need to summon some of that signature “Larson magic” on Sunday. Fortunately for the No. 5 team, Watkins Glen has been a solid hunting ground for Larson in the past.

Larson has won at The Glen in 2021 and 2022. If we take a look at last year’s performance, then he had a respectable 12th-place finish. This time, however, he would want nothing but a win to close down the gap in the championship standings. Known for his aggressive yet calculated road course driving style, Larson thrives in high-pressure situations. That experience will be vital if he’s to charge through the field from deep in the pack.

Still, with Byron starting well ahead and Elliott just a handful of points clear, Larson will need to not only execute flawlessly but also hope for some breaks to fall his way. Now, whether that’s through caution timing, pit strategy, or rivals’ missteps, anything counts. In a championship battle this tight, one miscalculated move could swing the standings dramatically.

So the question is: Can Larson turn a 27th-place start into a statement run that reshapes the championship fight? Or will Watkins Glen become a missed opportunity in his title chase? We don’t have to wait that long to get the answers. The Go Bowling At The Glen starts in just a few hours.