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Kyle Larson Opens Up on Hendrick Motorsports ‘Cheating’ During a Cheeky Speech

Published 11/13/2021, 2:36 PM EST

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A couple of years ago, one of the biggest ironies took place in the NASCAR Cup Series. In a 2019 interview, the then Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Kyle Larson, took a dig at the dominant Hendrick Motorsports team. This was probably around the time when Larson stormed to victory at the Dover International Speedway.

He said, “I feel like Hendrick just plays games in a way, with NASCAR. They always start the year off kind of bad, showing NASCAR that they are nice and cooperating, following the rules. Then it gets a couple of months in and they start cheating and finding some speed. I don’t know, but it was satisfying.”

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Later on in that year, he wrapped up the season in 6th place, with just that Dover win under his belt. Beyond that, he had a Top 10 finish at Martinsville and a Top 5 finish at the Phoenix Raceway. Sadly, that was not enough to see him through to the championship 4 in that year.

Kyle Larson experiences a twist of irony

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Two years down the line, Larson would find himself racing for the very team he ‘accused’ of cheating. What makes it even more hilarious, is the fact that he romped to 10 wins and a Cup Series championship. Obviously, Larson would have been a little embarrassed about his previous comments.

USA Today via Reuters

Nevertheless, it appears that Hendrick Motorsports has not held that against him. This is because, Kyle Larson was in rip roaring form and was rewarded with his maiden championship. However, he did not have an easy time, as he has to fend off the likes of Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin.

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Now, the onus will be on the #5 driver to try and retain his crown in 2022 when the Next Gen cars take to the track. If he does, he will be the first driver to win the championship in the new cars.

Kyle Larson Expresses Desire to Compete in Formula 1 As He Prepares to Attend 2021 Abu Dhabi GP

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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