Kyle Larson’s Sunday didn’t end up being as terrible as the Iowa Corn 350 was. Just hours after clashing with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman in the Cup Series race, he traveled a few miles over to the Knoxville Raceway, which proved to be a happier hunting ground for the ‘frustrated’ defending Cup Series champion.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Larson admittedly needed to compete at the Capitani Classic at the Raceway. And after “Yung Money” went on to win it for the second time in his career, he revealed why.
“Was happy to get back behind the wheel of a 410 sprint car. I wasn’t planning on running this, but after running 360 Nationals, I was just very grumpy just because those cars suck. They’re so slow, so I needed to feel some horsepower and had a big smile on my face,” Larson said in the post-race interview.
Larson was talking about the 360 Sprint Cars he drove in Knoxville. He didn’t finish where he would have liked to, and for him, it’s down to the speed of the cars. Larson finished 3rd in Thursday’s preliminary feature, and then 4th in Saturday’s 30-lap 360 Nationals finale.
Larson cannot be blamed for pointing out the difference. The 410 cars, which have a 410-cubic-inch (6.7L) engine, can generate up to 1,000 horsepower. The 360, meanwhile, produces roughly 700-800 horsepower. At a time when NASCAR drivers and veterans are practically crying out for greater power in their cars in the national series, driving underpowered cars in Larson’s beloved sprint cars would understandably make him very upset.
Larson wanted to get back in the 410, as he said, the one that made him smile after what was a forgettable Cup race.
Larson started second behind Ryan Blaney and ended Stage 1 in third, behind the two Team Penske cars. But on Lap 149, in the next stage, he got into an accident with his own teammate, Bowman. John Hunter Nemechek’s car forced Larson’s Chevy down and into a four-wide situation. There, Bowman’s car was hit by Keselowski, and his race ended.
Larson went into the pits, where his team managed to repair the right-rear toe link and get him back out. He hobbled to a 33rd-place finish, 18 laps behind winner Ty Gibbs. Bowman, on the radio, was heard saying, “We’re f***** destroyed” as he ended with a 34th-place DNF behind Larson.
Larson can leave Iowa with a redemption of sorts. He started the Capitani Classic from fourth and quickly reached the front, taking the lead from David Gravel with just eight laps to go. He held off Rico Abreu and Gravel to claim his second career Capitani Classic victory.
But at the same time, this win cannot take away the pain from what has been a woeful stretch for the two-time Cup Series champion. Frustrations had been creeping in long before his Sprint Car comments. A year-plus winless streak and bad luck in NASCAR races brought out the ugly side of the HMS driver at Iowa Speedway.
Kyle Larson’s cold response to teammate’s error in Iowa
Nemechek’s downshift disrupted the traffic flow and affected Larson, who immediately got pushed up the track into a tight row that had Riley Herbst, Ryan Preece, and Alex Bowman. That’s when Larson’s contact with Bowman happened.
On the team radio, driving his damaged No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson asked, “Did someone jam it in on him or could he not hold it down like normal?”
Nemechek’s team let Larson’s team know that the former was trying to downshift when his car got stuck in neutral. It wasn’t what Larson wanted to hear. But instead of lashing out like most drivers would in the situation, he resorted to sarcasm.
“Cool. Cool. Professional,” he said. No prizes for guessing whether that’s the feedback he had for Nemechek.
It’s not the first time Larson has had a run-in with his teammates. At the very same track last year, he made contact with Chase Elliott twice, prompting him to resort to some not-so-kind words over the radio. Larson said, “I’ve been trying to be a good teammate… it hasn’t gotten me anywhere the last f****g hour!”
New year. New teammate. Same frustrations. Yes, Larson ended 2025 by winning the Cup Series, but he hasn’t been to Victory Lane since May of last year. Getting into the Chase this season won’t be a headache for him either, as he’s 10th, comfortably ahead of the cutline. But the fact that luck hasn’t been on his side doesn’t make him too optimistic.
Just two weeks ago, at the Brickyard 400, Larson looked as though he had the pace to put together a strong result, perhaps even challenge for a win, when a tire blowout put him in the wall, leaving him with a 39th-place finish.
Larson may have found some relief at Knoxville, but the bigger Cup Series picture remains frustrating. With the Chase approaching, he will need more than sprint car victories and speed to turn his season around.