Kyle Larson had more than one reason to be disappointed after the Ford City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hovering inside the top five during the final stage of the race, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver had to restart in the 28th position with 120 laps to go, owing to a late penalty for equipment interference. But his crew is adamant that Front Row Motorsports had a part to play in what transpired.

When NASCAR announced their plans to bring back the concrete at Bristol, Kyle Larson was amongst the most vocal supporters of the change. So when the driver carried Chevrolet’s campaign on his back with an omnipresence in the top five, fans of the dirt racer rallied for a promising result. Unfortunately, Larson’s valiant efforts would go up in flames.

Despite showcasing great pace for the Chevys, Kyle Larson faces heartbreak at Bristol

With over 350 laps complete of the Cup Series race at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson was running in fourth, saving his tires to push for a podium later on. Pitting for four tires, Larson wanted to gain an edge over Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell with fresher rubber. On a day where track position proved vital, the HMS driver was in a prime spot toward the end of the race.

This is when the #5 pit crew was hit with a nightmarish penalty for ‘interference’, sending Larson to the back on the restart. During the pit stop, one of the Camaro’s tires rolled out of the box, creating a rather dangerous situation. While the penalty would be justified for safety concerns, Kyle Larson’s crew chief felt there could have been foul play from the Front Row Motorsports camp.

Sharing that the team would contest the penalty, Cliff Daniels was quoted by Jonathan Fjeld, “I think we’re going to challenge that because the #15 (Kaz Grala’s) crew member was in our pit stall when he started to touch the tire.” The #5 crew chief shifted the blame to Kaz Grala’s pit crew member, wanting NASCAR to pay attention to that violation instead.

Unfortunately, NASCAR paid no heed to Daniels’ grievances, meaning that Larson had to drop back to the rear. Still, the #5 Chevrolet Camaro managed an impressive comeback to finish 5th behind teammate Alex Bowman. In a race that had largely been dominated by the Camry XSE, Larson could have taken the Camaro to the podium if not for the penalty. Speaking after the race, Larson reminisced over what could have been while still satisfied with the finish.

“Obviously, I would have loved to not get that penalty because I felt like I could pace the 11 well, and I thought I could manage my tires good. He would have been hard to beat, but we could have ended up a little bit better and we could have ended up worse. So, yeah, I think I will take the fifth and be happy with it,” he said.

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While it’s safe to say Kyle Larson made the most of his scenario, the 31-year-old also said he had never felt this “weird” after a race.

Bristol Motor Speedway’s concrete falls short of Kyle Larson’s expectations

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From the very start of the race, Larson was the only contender outside of JGR who showcased great promise through each stage. After expressing his delight toward Bristol’s concrete return, the dirt track racer was expecting better racing on the tarmac. Unfortunately for Larson, the surface would prove to be the very thing that made the #5 garage scratch its head along with the rest of the grid.

After the race, Larson reflected on the track’s strange effect on the tire compound. He stated, “It was super chaotic. Really weird. I don’t know. The track wasn’t laying any rubber down so you kind of had to just ride because it was just wearing through the rubber and the tires and I felt like I was doing good managing my stuff. We just never really got a long run to show how good I guess I was doing at saving. I feel like I would’ve been right over there with how well the 11 and those guys were saving their stuff.” 

Feeling that the HMS car just wasn’t as good with tire management as the JGR Camrys, Larson shared how the penalty had truly cost them the race. He stated. “We got the penalty and had to go to the back. Then I had to race hard to try and gain positions and wore through my right front.”

He also said that hasn’t run a race like this and hopes it is not repeated. Larson said, “I’ve never ran a race like that. I hope I never have to run a race like that again. To have to run a race like that every week would not be good.”

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After taking a look at how Bristol played all its cards against one driver who was most vocal about the concrete’s return, do you think Larson is hoping the switch from red clay never happened?