“I was not slowing down”: Kyle Larson looks back on his detrimental moment at Chicago Street race

Kyle Larson reflected on his early exit from the Grant Park 165 Race in Chicago while running in third place. He admitted that he didn't slow down in time and, after hitting the brakes, locked up on turn 6 of lap 34, which sent his car crashing into a pile of tires.

Larson came into the Chicago Street race as one of the favorites, alongside Shane van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell. He showed his potential during qualifying, winning the pole position with a speed of 90.168 mph, edging out Ty Gibbs by a mere one-hundredth of a second to secure the prime starting spot for Sunday’s Grant Park 165. Unfortunately, his early wreck in Stage 2 prematurely ended his race.

Kyle Larson was running Turn 6 on Columbus Drive when his car slid on the slick pavement and crashed into the tire barrier, subsequently hitting the wall behind the tires. Reflecting on the incident, Larson shared his perspective:

"It’s slick. Really hard to get accelerated more than anything. You know, you're under breaking felt fine until it didn't. [...] I mean as soon as I hit the brakes, I was like, "I'm locked up." I hit the brakes and I was not slowing down so yeah, I just got locked up."

When asked about potential changes needed for the turn 6 barrier or wall, Larson responded:

"I don't know. I mean, I feel like everybody hit the barrier last year, and so far this week their cars were barely fine, but yeah, I... I tell this destroyed. It was just a big hit."

After his car was extricated from the wall, Kyle Larson tried to make it back to the pit road but couldn't reach it, prompting a caution flag and marking the end of his race day. Just before his incident, Shane van Gisbergen also saw his race come to an end at the same turn.

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Kyle Larson addresses the rivalry rumor with Denny Hamlin

Just like last year, the aftermath of the Nashville race hinted at brewing tensions between Kyle Larson's #5 Chevy and Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota. Last year, the duo resolved the pull between them after Hamlin gifted Larson a pair of Jordan shoes for his birthday after their Pocono on-track skirmish. This year, around the same time, a similar tension surfaced.

While Denny Hamlin stayed neutral, not confirming or denying a 'rivalry,' Kyle Larson spoke about the situation before the Chicago street race, saying [via NBC Sports]:

"Quite literally, right? No, I mean, I think we at the 5 team do a good job of looking ahead and looking through certain things and dramas at times. So, that’s our plan, that’s our mentality and I think that’s allowed us to win a championship in the past." [at 3:50]

When asked about his response if Denny Hamlin were to make similar moves in upcoming races, Kyle Larson remarked:

"It’s part of racing sometimes, part of stock car racing when you’ve got bodies that are tough. We’ll see. Like I said, just focus on racing at this point and controlling the things we can control.”

Next, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin will be back on the same track where their rivalry heated up last year—Pocono. Both drivers will be eager to outperform each other for another regular season victory.