The final rundown from the 5-plus hour, 413 laps race showed Larson in ninth place but the adventures that got him there bordered sometimes on the absurd.
Larson wrecked in Saturday’s practice session and missed qualifying which forced him to start the race from the rear of the field.
From there, Larson spun out on Lap 166 of 413, hit the wall several times, saw his fuel cap catch on fire and three times his team was assessed penalties during pit stops, sending him to the rear of the field on restarts.
One time after hitting the wall, Larson came over his team radio to say, “I just suck. Me. As a driver. I suck. Nobody else.”
At another point when he was running in 25th, Larson said, “I think this is the worst race of my life and we’re only halfway.”
Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, even offered his driver a motivational speech to keep him focused on the race.
What a speech from @KyleLarsonRacin’s crew chief Cliff Daniels! Still a long way to go in the #Coke600. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/4doC0ZVI2v
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) May 30, 2022
“Even going back to yesterday, me making a mistake, getting in a wall, put us in a bad spot all night,” Larson said. “Our pit stall was terrible having to come around (Martin Truex Jr.), and (Aric Almirola) coming around me.
“The day would have been a lot easier if I didn’t hit the wall yesterday.”
Daniels, however, turned out to be correct.
Late in the race, Larson got around Ross Chastain on a restart on Lap 354 to take the lead for just the second time in the race.
It appeared Larson had pulled off an incredible rally and would win the race. However, Chase Briscoe caught Larson for the lead on Lap 399 but spun out in the process which brought out a caution and sent the race into overtime.
Austin Dillon made a wild charge – taking the field four-wide – to challenge Larson for the lead in overtime but the two collided and triggered a seven-car wreck that sent the race into a second overtime. Larson’s chance at the victory was lost but he still rallied for a top-10 finish.
“The first half was a struggle for all of us. I was especially frustrated with myself. To rebound from that and have a shot to win there late was something to be proud of,” Larson said. “Briscoe was really good on that long run there. Wish we would have just been a little bit better so he never would have got to me, ultimately spin.
“The No. 3 (Austin Dillon) almost had me clear. Just made contact there. There was a big wreck. Kind of end of my night there.”
