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Kyle Larson runs out of fuel at NASCAR Clash

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Brian Jones | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 11:01 PM ET

Kyle Larson, the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion, had issues with his fuel during the 2026 NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. With less than 50 laps in the race, Larson began losing pace with the rest of the drivers, and he said on his radio that he was out of fuel. Larson could not get off the track, and a caution came out.

When Larson announced he was out of fuel, his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, told him, “Come on down, and we’ll put some fuel in it,” per Matt Weaver of Motorsport. This is clearly not how Larson wanted to start the 2026 season.

Kyle Larson is off the pace and says over his radio that he's out of fuel

Larson was unable to get off the racetrack and the caution is out pic.twitter.com/1DAGbTL2U3
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) February 5, 2026

The good news for Larson is that the Clash is only an exhibition race, and his team can make corrections before the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15.

2025 was an interesting year for Larson. He won three races during the regular season but did not win a race during the playoffs. But the 33-year-old did enough in each playoff round to advance and reach the Championship 4. In that race, Larson finished ahead of the other three drivers to clinch his second title.

Kyle Larson reacts to new championship format

“That accomplishment is great to have, but at the same time, every year presents its own set of challenges and circumstances,” Daniels said last month, per Zach Sturniolo of NASCAR.com. “And of course, with The Chase format this year, it’s all kind of a different look. So what we can take from one year to another is how we build our daily process, how we execute, how we perform, how we communicate, all of those things, and apply it to whatever comes our way this season.”

If Larson wants to win another title in 2026, he will have to do it in a new format. NASCAR has brought back The Chase, a 10-race championship format that will decide the champion by points.

“I think probably all of us were happy to hear of the format change,” Larson said. “I mean, I think your championship contenders in the playoff format are gonna be the same championship contenders in this format. It’s just a larger sample size is gonna be much nicer.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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