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Kyle Larson continues to experience nothing but misfortune as of late, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway was no kinder to the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Larson started tenth, but managed to undercut several drivers through an early pit stop, and was five laps away from winning Stage 1 of the Brickyard 400 when disaster struck.
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Entering Turn 3, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet suddenly snapped around and slammed the outside wall. Larson radioed to the team that he believed he may have cut a left-rear tire.
Crew chief Cliff Daniels reacted with shock and disbelief, and was seen speaking with Goodyear representatives soon after.
This continues an unusual winless streak for Larson, dating back to before his 2025 Indy 500/Coke 600 Double. Larson remains winless in 2026, and will finish 39th and scoring just one point.
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“We just had a tire let go,” said Larson outside the infield care center. “I wouldn’t say that pushing had anything to do with it. I was only going three tenths quicker than I was (before), saving fuel. Just a little bit of bad luck. Proud of the team. We qualified tenth, did what we had to do to gain track position to get to the lead, and executed that all really well. Still a lot of the race left, but I feel like we were positioning ourselves within the race and within the strategy to go after a win. Bummer, but we’ll get back after it in Iowa.”
Larson entered this race sixth in the championship standings, but is likely to lost multiple positions with how close those behind him now are. Every position is critical for seeding in the Chase reset after Daytona in just over a month.
With his Brickyard 400 result, Larson will have finished 34th or worse in three of the last four races.
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Not long after his exit, Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott hit the wall after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., forcing the No. 9 HMS Chevy behind the wall as well.
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