Kyle Larson’s shot at victory in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday slipped away in the final moments after a dramatic Kyle Larson Talladega fuel mishap. As he raced for the lead, Larson ran dry after the last restart, turning what could have been a defining win into another difficult finish for the Hendrick Motorsports standout.
Larson’s Hopes Dashed by Fuel Gamble
As the race neared its end, Kyle Larson found himself in prime position to claim a major superspeedway victory, but the timing of fuel stops disrupted his strategy. In the final laps, the No. 5 Chevrolet sputtered and slowed just after a restart, ending Larson’s drive. The decision by his team to gamble on fuel mileage quickly became the story of the day.
Following the race, Kevin Harvick and analyst Mamba Smith discussed the incident on the latest episode of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” trying to make sense of what went wrong for Larson. Harvick commented,
“We saw a lot of cars pit. You know, I think that the No. 12 and the No. 22, when that caution came out, they timed it to get the track position and didn’t time it to get to the end. They went for the track position, and it put them in a position where they had to pit,”
Harvick explained.
“So, obviously the No. 5 was close.”
— Kevin Harvick, NASCAR Driver.
Smith highlighted the crew’s calculations, adding,
“I mean, without that last caution with the No. 17, he’s probably making it,”
Smith added.
“So, like, I think Cliff even said Kyle kind of talked about that in his post, where they knew they were close.”
— Mamba Smith, Analyst.
Inside the Team’s Strategy and Learning From the Miss
Larson’s team, led by crew chief Cliff Daniels, anticipated that they would have barely enough fuel for one green–white–checkered restart. Unfortunately, the calculations turned out to be too risky. Just as he looked set for a win, the car started losing power, forcing him to quickly exit the racing line to avoid interfering with others—a move that also happened to impact the chances of teammate William Byron in the No. 24 entry. Smith noted,
“I thought that once they flipped the switch, they were gonna be right there. It just came up a little short. But good on him for realizing that, just backing down and getting completely out of the way. Now, it screwed the No. 24 regardless.”
— Mamba Smith, Analyst.
Reflecting on the disappointment, Larson admitted the team was confident in the numbers they had.
“He was very sure about the numbers that he had in front of him that we could make it flipping the switch where we did,”
Larson said.
“Just unfortunate that it didn’t work out there. It started giving me a warning there in the middle of [Turns] 1 and 2, and then down the back it started stumbling, so I just got out of the way.”
— Kyle Larson, Driver.
The narrow miss left Larson with a bitter feeling.
“It’s probably one of the more bummer superspeedway finishes I’ve had just because we were once again in contention, and it was right where I wanted to be, but it didn’t work out. So we’ll keep putting ourselves in contention, and it’ll eventually work out.”
— Kyle Larson, Driver.
Implications for the Championship Race
Had Larson secured the win at Talladega, he would have automatically clinched a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway and the chance to chase a second Cup Series title. Instead, his fate will now depend on the upcoming race at Martinsville Speedway. The Kyle Larson Talladega fuel mishap means that he’ll have to deliver a solid result on the half-mile in Virginia to guarantee his place in the finale.
Going into Martinsville, Larson holds a 36-point advantage over the elimination line, with Christopher Bell as his closest rival. If any driver below the line claims victory, Larson must outscore Bell during the 500-lap test to advance. With so much on the line, the contest at Martinsville is certain to be fiercely competitive and unpredictable.
The outcome at Talladega not only deprived Larson and Hendrick Motorsports of a crucial triumph but also set the stage for heightened drama as NASCAR’s playoffs approach their decisive moments. The sting of the fuel gamble will linger, but as Larson and his team turn their attention to Martinsville, all eyes will be on whether they can overcome this setback and keep their championship dreams alive.
