Kyle Larson snaps back after being pressed on losing 2 restarts to Bubba Wallace at Brickyard 400

Last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson did his best to pass Bubba Wallace on the outside, but came up short. Ahead of Iowa, Larson is still being asked about the last two restarts of the Brickyard 400.

Kyle Larson gets so much praise for what he does on the track, both pavement and dirt. So, when he comes up short in a late-race situation like last week, with two restarts to get the lead in overtime, it is surprising.

Jerry Jordan of Kickin’ The Tires asked Larson about the end of last week’s race during his Iowa media availability. The Hendrick Motorsports star kept it pretty short and simple.

“It’s Indy,” Kyle Larson said with a bit of a laugh. “Tell me when anyone’s won a restart from the outside.”

Larson is right. Indianapolis is a one-groove track for any kind of racecar that goes there. IndyCar and NASCAR drivers have no chance of making passes in the turns. So, you have to build a run on the straights, make your move quickly, and then get to the bottom of the track again.

In the 2024 race, Kyle Larson benefited from this. He was able to control the race on late restarts because he had the inside lane. This year, he didn’t have that advantage.

Kyle Larson in the fight for regular season championship

This weekend and the next three after it are very crucial. Right now, there is a four-way battle for the regular season championship separated by only 20 points. Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin are in for a fight.

Since his win at Kansas, Larson has fallen off a bit. His second half of the regular season has not lived up to the first half. He had three wins and five more top-five finishes in the first 12 races of the season. Since then, he has no wins, three top-fives, and three finishes of P35 or worse.

Still, Larson finds himself in the hunt for the regular season. That’s a big deal with the 15 playoff points that come along with the championship. Larson would have at least 38 playoff points if he were to win this points battle. His teammates Elliott and Byron would only have 21 and 27 points, respectively.

Only a few races remain for Kyle Larson to make his push for the regular season title. Could he have a big weekend at Iowa and take a lead going into Watkins Glen next week?