Latest news with #KyleLarson
Reuters
a day ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Music City set for encore after 2024's five-OT thriller
May 30 - As the NASCAR Cup Series moves to Tennessee for Sunday night's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, former series champion Brad Keselowski still was thinking about the just-completed visit to Charlotte. After battling late into last Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the RFK Racing driver said he could have used more laps to score his first win of 2025. In Keselowski's estimation, 100 more miles would have helped to improve on a fifth-place finish that gave him his first top-10 result of 2025. "We got mixed up in some of the different stuff in the midpoint of the race and just clawed our way out," said Keselowski, who led five laps. "I feel like if we could have got to the lead, we could have won the race. "I wish it was a 700-mile race." The night got better for Keselowski as the race went longer, which is pretty much how the season has played out for the Rochester Hills, Mich., native. The first third of the season is far from what was expected from the No. 6 Ford. After the dust had settled in Kansas on May 11 and Kyle Larson had pulled into a tie with Christopher Bell for the series lead with three wins, Keselowski found himself in a wretched locale in the standings -- 33rd out of 36 drivers. He is currently in 32nd, just ahead of Shane van Gisbergen, Riley Herbst and Cole Custer. The trio slotting in front of Keselowski are Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Justin Haley. It is far from the glory days for Keselowski, who won five races during his 2012 title year and six two years later. Since his four-victory showing during the shortened 2020 COVID season, he has won just twice in 157 races: Talladega in 2021, Darlington last May. In four career starts at Nashville, Keselowski has posted a best finish of 11th two seasons ago and was 25th last year, although he has won in support races. RFK Racing received good news this week when a portion of the penalty on the No. 17 Ford driven by Chris Buescher was rescinded. While crew chief Scott Graves has already served the two-race suspension for the front bumper cover infraction discovered at Kansas, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel reduced Buescher's 60-point penalty in half Wednesday, allowing the Texas driver to advance from 23rd to 16th in the standings. On Sunday, Ross Chastain ran down William Byron over the final 37 laps to capture the longest race of the season and become the ninth different winner in the past nine races at Charlotte. After fending off a battle with Denny Hamlin, Byron withstood a charge from Chastain until six laps remained. Chastain picked up his first win of the season by a mere 0.673 seconds and did it in a backup car while starting 40th and last in the field. While Chastain led just eight laps in Charlotte, Joey Logano led just nine laps while winning at Nashville last year in a fifth overtime. Logano held off Zane Smith and Tyler Reddick while running the last 110 laps on a single tank of fuel. Byron leads the current points standings with one win and six top-5 finishes, while Larson trails by 29 points after three wins and eight top 5s. Larson leads in playoff points with 23. --Field Level Media
USA Today
a day ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
Jimmie Johnson wants Kyle Larson to keep attempting 'The Double'
Jimmie Johnson wants Kyle Larson to keep attempting 'The Double' Kyle Larson's second attempt at "The Double" didn't go well. Larson crashed out of the 2025 Indianapolis 500, and even if he hadn't wrecked, the helicopter taking him to Charlotte Motor Speedway would have left before the end of the event due to a weather delay. Then, Larson hit the wall and spun from the lead in the Coca-Cola 600 before crashing out later in the night. It was a very disappointing day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, and it might have represented his final chance at "The Double." However, Jimmie Johnson, who joined the NTT IndyCar Series after retiring from NASCAR, hopes that Larson can continue attempting "The Double" moving forward. "I love that [Kyle Larson]'s doing [The Double], and I hope that he sticks with it," Johnson said. "The uptick for motorsports worldwide is measurable. When people do The Double, it matters. And Kyle is a guy that can drive anything, as we know. We look at how he did last year. This year, sure, racing is racing. It's not always going to be easy. The big races require bigger moments, and there's a lot more going on. The guy just takes it in stride and goes through both events. Sure, he wishes he had different results, but I really hope it doesn't dissuade him from racing in those again." Larson is one of the best race car drivers in the world, and although his two attempts at "The Double" haven't gone well, Johnson hopes it won't discourage him from trying it again. The logistics of "The Double" are complicated, and despite the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion's approval, it would be understandable if Larson didn't want to try it again. More: Kyle Larson addresses a possible third attempt at "The Double"
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
NASCAR May power rankings: Byron hangs in
Kyle Larson remains on top of NBC's monthly NASCAR Power Rankings, leading a few new faces in the top 5.
NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
May NASCAR Cup Power Rankings: Kyle Larson holds top spot for another month
Here is a look at the top drivers in May. May Power Rankings 1. Kyle Larson (Last month 1st) While his attempt to run all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day fizzled after crashes in both races, one shouldn't overlook the month Larson had in NASCAR. He won at Kansas from the pole and finished fourth at Texas. He finished the month with one Cup victory, three stage wins and one bonus point for the fastest lap in a race. He led a series-high 345 laps in the three points races in May and ranked second for the month in stage points at 38. Larson ranked second in points scored in the month at 112. Dustin Long, 2. Christopher Bell (NR) He won the All-Star Race and and finished in the top 10 in each of the three points races in the month, placing ninth at Texas, second at Kansas and eighth in the Coca-Cola 600. That helped Bell score the most points of the month with 118. Bell ranked fifth for the month in stage points scored at 26. The area he was lacking was in leading laps. He led only eight laps in the three points races (he led 28 of 250 laps in the All-Star Race). Nate Ryan, 3. William Byron (2nd) Byron ranked third in points scored in the month at 110. He had one top-10 finish in the three points races, placing second in the Coca-Cola 600. He had three stage wins in the month — all in the 600. Byron finished May tied for second with Kyle Larson in stage points scored at 38. Byron ranked second for the month in laps led at 305. 4. Ross Chastain (NR) The Coca-Cola 600 winner also scored a runner-up finish at Texas. He placed 20th at Kansas in the month's other points race. Chastain also was third in the All-Star Race. He was one of only four drivers to top 100 points for the month. He had 104 in May. 5. Joey Logano (NR) He won at Texas and finished runner-up in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro. Logano also was ninth at Kansas. He ranked sixth in points scored in May with 92. Those outside the top five Chase Elliott — He finished fifth in the series for points scored in May with 98. Elliott had one top-10 finish in the three points races in May, placing sixth in the Coca-Cola 600. He was 15th at Kansas and 16th at Texas. Tyler Reddick — He ranked first in stage points scored in May with 42 and was seventh in total points scored in May with 89. His best finish in a points race in May was 17th at Kansas. Points scored in May 2025 118 — Christopher Bell 112 — Kyle Larson 110 — William Byron 104 — Ross Chastain 98 — Chase Elliott 92 — Joey Logano 89 — Tyler Reddick 87 — Ryan Blaney 79 — Chase Briscoe 79 — John Hunter Nemechek 78 — Ryan Preece 76 — Josh Berry 75 — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 74 — Chris Buescher 70 — Todd Gilliland 65 — Erik Jones 62 — Austin Dillon 60 — Austin Cindric 59 — Alex Bowman 58 — Noah Gragson 58 — Michael McDowell 56 — Kyle Busch 55 — Shane van Gisbergen 53 — Denny Hamlin 53 — Carson Hocevar 51 — AJ Allmendinger 47 — Brad Keselowski 46 — Cole Custer 45 — Ty Dillon 45 — Zane Smith 42 — Riley Herbst 39 — Ty Gibbs 35 — Justin Haley 31 — Daniel Suarez 26 — Cody Ware 16 — Bubba Wallace Stage points scored in May 2025 42 — Tyler Reddick 38 — Kyle Larson 38 — William Byron 30 — Denny Hamlin 26 — Christopher Bell 25 — Carson Hocevar 24 — Chase Elliott 18 — Ryan Blaney 17 — Alex Bowman 16 — Austin Cindric 16 — AJ Allmendinger 15 — Josh Berry 13 — John Hunter Nemechek 11 — Chris Buescher 12 — Ryan Preece 10 — Ross Chastain 6 — Bubba Wallace 5 — Noah Gragson 5 — Brad Keselowski 4 — Joey Logano 4 — Erik Jones 3 — Zane Smith 3 — Ty Gibbs 3 — Michael McDowell 2 — Chase Briscoe 1 — Kyle Busch Laps led in May 2025 345 — Kyle Larson 305 — William Byron 56 — Denny Hamlin 41 — Josh Berry 31 — Chase Elliott 28 — Carson Hocevar 19 — Michael McDowell 8 — Ross Chastain 8 — Christopher Bell 8 — Joey Logano 6 — Ty Gibbs 4 — Ty Dillon 4 — Todd Gilliland 3 — Alex Bowman 2 — Ryan Blaney 2 — Tyler Reddick 1 — Chase Briscoe 1 — John Hunter Nemechek Watch highlights from the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Relive a chaotic NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
Scott McLaughlin, stinging from 500 wreck, gets apology from Kyle Larson for gesture
DETROIT — There's one part of Scott McLaughlin's Indy 500 that he'll probably never get over. But there's another part that he's already moved past. Kyle Larson gave McLaughlin a thumbs up when driving by his wrecked car on the Indy 500 pace laps. But Scott said he's harboring no ill will toward Larson after the fact. Larson was on a time crunch trying to compete in and complete both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 races on Sunday. He apparently delivered the gesture as part sarcasm and part frustration over seeing his chances to complete both slip away, thanks to drizzle delaying the Indy 500 start. The video went viral. McLaughlin said Larson texted him. And McLaughlin also took a little dig at Larson in the debate about whether Larson is better than Formula 1 standout Max Verstappen. "He texted me. We're all good," McLaughlin said Thursday, prior to a luncheon to kick off the Detroit Grand Prix weekend. "I've got a tremendous amount of respect for Kyle. "I just love poking s--- at everyone, too. So my tweet was a bit of making fun of that whole conversation because that's been such a big piece. But also, I wasn't going to let him off the hook with that [gesture] either. That's the type of person I am." McLaughlin said he never felt that Larson's gesture was vindictive. Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader and 2021 champion, had about a 40-minute buffer from when the race typically would end and when he felt he needed to leave for Charlotte. The rain delay lasted about 45 minutes, and McLaughlin's wreck delayed the start even longer. "He texted me and apologized and didn't mean it. And I know he didn't," McLaughlin said. "He's really a respectful racer. And kudos to him for even reaching out. He didn't need to. "He doesn't care about my INDYCAR [race]. I understand it. They know it's logistically tough. ... Forty minutes is cutting it pretty close to even do it. So maybe the two series need to come together and talk about different times or whatever? At the same time, Indy is Indy and the 600 is the 600, and if you want to run the risk of doing that, that's up to you." As far as his own mentality, McLaughlin said the 2025 Indy 500 won't be one he will forget. He never took the green flag, and that came a week after he crashed in practice preparing for the qualifying sessions where he possibly could have won the pole. "I'm not over it," McLaughlin said. "I don't think I'll ever be over it. It's been a character-building couple of weeks. Definitely the hardest thing that I've gone through ever in my career in terms of the 500 race and what happened there. "I'm obviously replaying events over in my head, but the best thing for me right now is just get back on track." McLaughlin has already been back on track — just not in his regular ride. He tested a Legends car on Wednesday on the quarter-mile oval on the front-stretch of Charlotte Motor Speedway with NASCAR's Bubba Wallace and his former Supercars rival Shane Van Gisbergen. "It definitely took my mind off it," McLaughlin said. "And we're hanging out with Bubba, who is a great friend of mine. "Honestly, I had a lot of people reach out from all disciplines, from NASCAR, some F1 guys, some INDYCAR guys. I got a lot of support, which is really nice and humbling." As far as the accident itself, McLaughlin could only be left wondering what he did to deserve spinning out on the pace lap as he warmed up his tires. He hit an inside wall and was out of the 500 before it even began. Whether there was moisture on the track or not, McLaughlin said he was still unsure. "You'll never know if there was or not," McLaughlin said. "I definitely picked up throttle — not aggressively — but it was coming to 1 [lap] to go, so I was getting warmed up. ... It was just unfortunate." After the crash, McLaughlin saw his family and even signed some autographs as he went to a suite to watch the race. "The first bit, I was pretty emotional, but when you go back and you see your kid and see your wife, you realize that's all you need," McLaughlin said. "It was definitely a hard race to watch." McLaughlin even got a little philosophical when speaking on Thursday. "I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason," McLaughlin said. "Something happened there, and I'll figure it out, and everything will be good. "I wasn't meant to start that race, unfortunately." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
