“It’s nothing new”: Kyle Larson shares mindset behind recent long-note slamming NASCAR critics

Kyle Larson recently addressed his decision to share an X-post criticizing those who blamed NASCAR and Goodyear for the underwhelming Bristol race. He explained that no one has concrete answers as to why tire wear didn't occur this time around, despite it happening during their previous race in March. As a result, Larson argued, there’s no sense in casting blame on Goodyear.

In a lengthy post on his official X account, Kyle Larson responded to the critics by urging fans to manage their expectations. He emphasized that Bristol has always been a difficult track for passing, making it inherently challenging for drivers. In a recent video interview with Dirty Mo Media, Larson elaborated on why he felt compelled to address the complaints on social media following the Bristol Night Race. He stated:

"I think just kind of a- culmination of everybody, the fans, NASCAR, like I said. And some of the stuff like Nobody really has the answers, so it's hard to... point fingers at people, but... It's just kind of burns me out a little bit, talk about tire wear like it's always been a thing at Bristol and it hasn't. There's only been one race where we've had tire wear in the last 10 or 11 years I've been going there."

"We're baffled, Yeah, we didn't have tire work and I think we should have been more baffled. Why we did have tire wear randomly the one time. So, yeah, I mean, I think Bristol's Bristol, it's always... Fast pace. really hard to pass," Kyle Larson continued.

After Kyle Larson's dominant victory in the first elimination race of the playoffs at Bristol, leading 462 laps out of 500, both fans and critics expressed their displeasure with Goodyear. They accused the tire company of failing to meet expectations, which they claimed resulted in a lackluster Bass Pro Shops Night Race with no noticeable tire wear.

Unlike the previous race at Bristol in March, which saw 54 lead changes due to severe tire-wear conditions and drivers were forced to pit as early as Lap 30 this time the tires lasted around 125 laps.

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Kyle Larson's crew chief opines that the Bristol Spring race was not a good one

While fans appreciated the Bristol Spring race for its frequent lead changes due to tire wear, which forced teams to devise new tactics and strategies on the fly to secure victory, Kyle Larson's crew chief, Cliff Daniels, expressed a different perspective during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR. He stated:

"The Bristol race, everyone wants to say was so amazing in the spring because of the tire coming apart. Well, no! It was the tire coming apart that created chaos. It wasn't a good race. The chaos was fun for the moment but that's not sustainable like that. That type of chaos is not what our sport needs on a weekly basis. We don't, we don't need chaos and calamity, you know, we need good, pure racing."

Kyle Larson currently leads the playoff standings with a 39-point advantage over the cutline as he aims to advance to the Round of 8.