NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kyle Larson's great day at Atlanta turns sour after wreck

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 22, 2026 5:33 PM ET

An exciting end to Stage 2 of Sunday's Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway came with a caveat.

As William Byron and Bubba Wallace raced door-to-door for the stage win on Lap 160 of 260 in Sunday's race, Shane van Gisbergen turned Kyle Larson, sending Larson spinning into the outside wall.

Larson's car was heavily damaged and towed back to the garage area, while van Gisbergen's No. 97 Chevrolet sustained minor damage.

Kyle Larson's great day ends with a wrecked car

Larson ran up front throughout the race and was battling for stage points on the final lap of the stage before being spun by van Gisbergen.

A wild end to Stage 2. pic.twitter.com/0yrp6TJnMA
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 22, 2026

"I'm sorry, I didn't know we were three-wide," Larson radioed to his spotter, Tyler Monn, after the crash.

Van Gisbergen managed to finish 15th in the stage, while Larson's race ended. Larson entered Sunday's race 15th in the Cup Series standings and will fall out of the provisional Chase field going into the third race of the season at Circuit of the Americas on March 1.

Wallace barely beat Byron for the stage win after NASCAR threw the caution and determined that Wallace was ahead at the moment the yellow flag flew. Wallace earned more stage points (19) than any other driver on Sunday.

Byron, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Ryan Preece, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Ross Chastain also earned points in Stage 2.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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