Kyle Larson’s scuffle with Bubba Wallace at Las Vegas last weekend didn’t put a damper on the No. 5 Nascar Chevy Camaro‘s performance. In fact, Larson led 199 laps on his way to the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 23rd, 2022, despite contact on Pit Road with the only race car that was fast enough to challenge him.
After winning Stage 1 and Stage 2, Larson’s No. 5 Nascar Chevy lost the lead to Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Toyota TRD Camry, during Stage 3. While Truex’s No. 19 Camry paced the field, Larson’s No. 5 Camaro set out after him, cutting his lead down as the laps ticked by, but then a late-race caution occurred when the No. 8 Camaro of Tyler Reddick spun out and crashed hard into the inside wall. During the ensuing round of pit stops, Larson’s No. 5 Camaro entered Pit Road right behind Truex’s No. 19 Camry. Truex’s No. 19 Camry braked hard, and Larson’s No. 5 Camaro contacted the rear of the Toyota, sending Truex spinning backward into his pit box and effectively ending his bid for the race win.
Larson assumed the lead in the No. 5 Nascar Chevy when the green flag fell again and never looked back, though the No. 16 Camaro of AJ Allmendinger and the No. 1 Camaro of Ross Chastain put up a valiant effort to track him down.
“I was just going behind [Truex] and he had a hard left and was hard on the brakes at the same time and I got into the back of him,” Larson explained of his contact with the No. 19 Camry on Pit Road. “If it was my fault I’m sorry, but I don’t think it was. It’s hard to see on this pit road. Hate that happened. He was definitely the one I was going to have to beat.”
Truex and Larson both explained that the glare of the sun made it difficult to see on Pit Road, resulting in the contact. “I did see my box late for sure,” Truex said in a post-race interview, “so I slowed down before I turned out of the way of the 5 [Larson] there. Partly on me, I didn’t expect to get turned around and glad nobody got hurt there.” Truex ultimately rallied back to finish sixth.
Nascar Chevy teams accounted for the top four finishers, with Larson’s No. 5 Camaro winning, Chastain’s No. 1 Camaro taking second, Allmendinger’s No. 16 Camaro in third, and Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Camaro fourth, followed by Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang in fifth.
Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | Valvoline Chevrolet | 267 | 199 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
2 | 20 | 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Kubota Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
3 | 10 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger(i) | Ed Morse Automotive Group Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
4 | 32 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Huk Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
5 | 9 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Violet Defense Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
6 | 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 267 | 28 | Toyota TRD Camry |
7 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | FedEx Ground Toyota | 267 | 4 | Toyota TRD Camry |
8 | 16 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Busch Light Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
9 | 11 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Skittles Lime is Back Toyota | 267 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
10 | 23 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Princess Cruises Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
11 | 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Rheem – WATTS Toyota | 267 | 4 | Toyota TRD Camry |
12 | 1 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Liberty University Chevrolet | 267 | 32 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
13 | 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Fastenal Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
14 | 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
15 | 27 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Slim Jim Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
16 | 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Love's Travel Stops Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
17 | 13 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Menards/Pennzoil Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
18 | 17 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
19 | 26 | 2 | Austin Cindric # | Freightliner Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
20 | 21 | 21 | Harrison Burton # | DEX Imaging Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
21 | 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Premium Bacon Ford | 267 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
22 | 6 | 23 | Ty Gibbs(i) | Monster Energy Toyota | 267 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
23 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Built.com Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
24 | 25 | 41 | Cole Custer | Dixie Vodka Ford | 266 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
25 | 24 | 48 | Noah Gragson(i) | Ally Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
26 | 30 | 42 | Ty Dillon | SunseekerResorts.com Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
27 | 4 | 45 | John Hunter Nemechek(i) | Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota | 266 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
28 | 15 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
29 | 33 | 77 | Landon Cassill(i) | Zeigler Auto/LoJack Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
30 | 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | The Morgan Law Group Chevrolet | 264 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
31 | 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland # | EO South Florida Ford | 264 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
32 | 34 | 15 | JJ Yeley(i) | Jacob Companies Ford | 263 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
33 | 35 | 78 | BJ McLeod(i) | MSG Frankie Zombie Ford | 262 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
34 | 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Nurtec ODT UBCF Ford | 262 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
35 | 7 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | 3CHI Chevrolet | 242 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
36 | 19 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (P) | Magical Vacation Planner Ford | 160 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
#- Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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Comments
Nice Job Kyle too bad you missed the cut a couple weeks back.