“Thanks to JRM for letting me come run this thing here today.” Kyle Larson said these words shortly after winning the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 race in Texas on Saturday. For sure, proving that he can live up to his “embarrassing” comments and grabbing a gigantic custard trophy seemed worthwhile to him. However, after the Cup Series visited Texas Motor Speedway, Larson’s gratitude towards Dale Earnhardt Jr may have faded away a little bit.
Connor Zilisch hurt his lower back in a Talladega wreck last weekend. That prompted Rick Hendrick to help out Dale Jr, as he tapped his brightest Hendrick Motorsports star to wheel the No. 77 Chevy. But in doing so, Kyle Larson probably spilled all his Texas secrets to his Cup Series rivals.
Kyle Larson laments about his punctured plans
The Xfinity Series race witnessed 11 cautions, most of which played out in the final stage. Kyle Larson smoothly dodged them, covering distance mostly during the race restarts. For instance, a crash for Sammy Smith pushed the race into overtime, and Larson’s strategic moves vaulted him from 8th to 3rd place. While this allowed Larson to clinch his 17th Xfinity victory, it also provided an open script for anybody in the Cup Series grid to read. Sunday’s Würth 400 presented by Liqui Moly also featured 12 cautions, most of which animated the final stage. These similar circumstances allowed Larson’s competitors to follow in his Xfinity footsteps and beat him at his own game.
Kyle Larson led for a race-high 90 laps while winning stage 2 at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth, Texas track. Although his dominance was undeniable, several strong rivals trailed Larson, hoping to cash out on their Xfinity learnings. They included Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and Michael McDowell. Blaney especially hounded Larson’s No. 5 Chevy with his No. 12 Ford. Larson reflected on his struggles in an interview: “Yeah, I just got predictable. Um, him and Reddick just anticipated it. They were formed up, ready to go. And I kind of launched away from the 12. Even though you’re going slow, the draft and pushes really matter. So I just didn’t have that behind me.”
Kyle Larson on the restart where he lost the lead and control of the race. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/GqwXYFQw6x
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 5, 2025
But what stood out was Kyle Larson‘s failed battle with Michael McDowell. On lap 221, the No. 71 team made a crucial pit call and gave two tires to McDowell. That catapulted him to second place. After Cody Ware’s big wreck on lap 236, McDowell jumped to the lead on the restart as Larson went high on Turns 1 and 2. The HMS driver reflected on this ordeal, “They had me cleared before, or the 71 had me cleared before 1. Was hoping he would leave me a lane for some clean air. But he closed off and I got tied, and then got tied again in 3 and 4, ran Reddick up out of the groove. So yeah, just kind of the race fell apart right there for me.”
Evidently, Kyle Larson’s gratitude towards Dale Jr may have worn off quicker than he expected. Michael McDowell toppled his lead, but Larson’s rival also did not have an amazing day.
Barely scraping success
Michael McDowell‘s glory in NASCAR has been limited in his long career. His last victory came almost two years ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So the Spire Motorsports whipped up a storm of hope in his team as he came dangerously close to breaking that long winless streak. After his crucial pit call, McDowell was able to derail Kyle Larson from his lead. But his task did not end there. With 10 laps to go, the No. 71 driver cleared Ryan Blaney for the lead. However, Joey Logano was also close on his heels, hoping to salvage an opportunity. A fierce block from McDowell down the backstretch on Lap 264 proved miscalculated. It brought both McDowell and Logano down to the inside wall, but Logano surged forward in Turn 3 for the lead.
Ryan Blaney also capitalized on Michael McDowell’s mistake, while the latter hit the SAFER barrier. He fell to a disappointing 26th-place finish. McDowell reflected on what went wrong post-race: “Joey got a run there; I tried to block it. I went as far as I think you can probably go. And then when Blaney slid up in front of me, it just took the air off of it, and I lost the back of it. Still had the fight in me. I guess I should have conceded at that point, but I’m just proud of everyone at Spire Motorsports. I know that’s not the day we wanted, but we had an opportunity to win the race.” He lamented further: “I just really hate it for everybody on this Spire Motorsports No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet. We were giving it everything we had there to try to keep track position.”
Evidently, the day turned out bitterly for a lot of drivers. Kyle Larson learned his lesson about divulging too much in Xfinity, so let’s see how he approaches future races.
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