“I just love that track.” Bristol Motor Speedway acts like a dirt sprint racing track, to the delight of Kyle Larson. But for the upcoming Food City 500 race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver may love Bristol a little bit more. Last weekend, we saw the misery that piled up on him. Larson fell off 160 laps due to a lap 4 crash and then wrecked out again on lap 291, finishing in a miserable 37th place. So Bristol is offering him a chance for redemption.
What is more, Kyle Larson is also seeking redemption from his Homestead heartbreak. He could not sweep that weekend’s three races due to Sammy Smith’s aggression in Xfinity, which dropped him to 4th place. However, as Larson charges into the Bristol weekend, a NASCAR expert strings up the highest hopes for him.
All eyes on Kyle Larson
Well, if he gets it done, he will break Rowdy’s bragging rights. Only one Cup Series driver has done a weekend sweep in the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity, and Cup – Kyle Busch. The two-time champion did it twice at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010 and 2017. Now, Kyle Larson is showing all the signs of achieving the same feat. HMS’ golden boy owns two Cup victories at Thunder Valley – the latest was last Fall, where he led 462 of 500 laps. Larson won his last Xfinity Series start at Bristol in 2018, and has a total of seven top-fives, eight top-10s, and 746 laps led. While his only Truck Series start at Bristol came on the dirt in 2021, Larson will be a favorite there nonetheless.
So in a recent YouTube video, Eric Estepp and his guest ‘Dale Tanhardt’ set the standards high for Kyle Larson. Tanhardt observed how his Bristol chances glimmer brightly if last Fall’s race gets replicated. “I think he’s got a much better shot at sweeping this weekend than he did at Homestead. And I was blown away by how good he was in the Xfinity car. If this race goes like it did last Fall Xfinity – you look back at that race and it was a long green flag run to the finish…But you know, with Cup and Xfinity having long green flag runs last Fall – it makes you feel like that’s a good thing for Kyle Larson.”
The 0.533-mile, high-banked oval has witnessed Kyle Larson‘s career number of circuits paced to 1,351. This is the second-most of all active drivers next only to Kyle Busch, who’s made 19 more starts at Bristol than Larson. So Eric Estepp’s guest continued with his solid prophecy. “I think at Xfinity, Kyle has a great shot at winning – Trucks, he’s got an even better shot at winning. You never count out Corey Heim but that Truck race flies by. I think if Kyle Larson just has some track position early, gets out in front, I don’t think they’re going to pass him. So I think Larson has a fantastic opportunity to sweep better than he had at Homestead. He really needs it after what happened this past Sunday at Darlington.”
Kyle Larson’s fans and supporters are waiting for a comeback from his Darlington disaster. What is more, Bristol’s esteemed track official is also rooting for him.
Eager to see him become a legend
Well, Kyle Larson is already on that path to glory. He attempted the 1100-mile Double last year, entering both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Rain washed out his plans – so the HMS star is going for a re-attempt this season. But for now, Larson has some records to break at Bristol. After leading for 462 laps last September, he broke a record for the fastest race time held by the late Charlie Glotzbatch in 1971. As he attempts the weekend sweep this time, a WEATHER GUARD Truck Race would put Larson in some elite company. He would join six drivers who have won Bristol races in all three NASCAR series. Those racers include Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.
Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, is eagerly rooting for him. Caldwell heaped praises for Kyle Larson recently: “He is such a natural talent and one of the most popular drivers in the Cup Series. So we are thrilled to see him go for the trifecta at Bristol. Who knows what will happen, but he clearly has the skills and talent to do it. We love seeing drivers take on the high banks in different cars and different series. He has certainly proved he knows his way around the track and that he can win in anything. So it will be fun and exciting for everyone to watch him and all the other drivers compete during races throughout the Food City 500 weekend.”
Evidently, the HMS star is drumming up a lot of anticipation for his Bristol feat. He has two big heartbreaks at Homestead and Darlington to clench his teeth and win. We can’t wait to see him dazzle us!
The post Kyle Larson Could Put His Darlington Woes to Bed as the Hendrick Man Hopes to Pull a Kyle Busch at Bristol appeared first on EssentiallySports.
