Unnamed retired driver felt Kyle Larson “jumped the start” at crucial Brickyard 400 restart, as per NASCAR Insider

NASCAR insider Brett Griffin has shed light on a retired driver’s take on Kyle Larson’s first overtime restart chaos. Griffin said the driver felt that Larson did jump the restart at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but not enough to attract a penalty.

The 30th anniversary of the Brickyard 400 was going Brad Keselwoski's way until a Lap 159 spin-off by Kyle Busch turned the tables around. Even as the RFK Racing driver was supposed to take the restart green flag as the leader, his #6 Ford Mustang fell victim to fuel exhaustion. With that, Ryan Blaney’s #12 Ford became the control car while Larson found himself in the inside lane of the front row.

The Team Penske driver expected the race to stay yellow, but officials showed the green and Larson shot off for his maiden Brickyard 400 triumph. Griffin has now revealed a retired driver’s take, whom he did not name, while also sharing his thoughts about the Lap 162 incident:

"I think Kyle Larson went first. Freddie [Bubba Wallace's insider] and I were texting with a retired driver last night. He had an interesting comment. He said, 'He [Kyle Larson] jumped the start but not enough to get penalized,'" Griffin said via Dirty Mo Media on X (0.16).

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Kyle Larson 'thanks' NASCAR for his third crown jewel triumph

Before reigning supreme on the 2.5-mile oval, Kyle Larson had a disappointing time when he attempted to complete the Indy-Charlotte Double nearly two months back. After failing to exercise his dominance in the Indy 500 and finishing 18th, the HMS driver couldn't contest at the Coca-Cola 600 as it got canceled due to inclement weather conditions.

Moreover, after kicking off his run from fifth place on the grid and finishing Stage 1 in second place, Larson dropped to 20th place in the second stage. However, with more fuel in the gas tank compared to his rivals ahead, the #5 Chevy driver went flat out for the frontrunners while they ran on a fuel-saving strategy.

The winning stride came during the first overtime when he capitalized on suddenly finding himself in the inside lane, swooping past Ryan Blaney. By maintaining his supremacy in the final restart, Larson came home with his fourth win this season.

The moment the HMS driver took the lead during the restart, Blaney let loose at the organizers on his radio for letting the race go green and even threw in some f-bombs. Kelly Crandall shared the Team Penske driver's words on her X (formerly Twitter) account, to which Larson responded by thanking NASCAR for his win.

"😎 thanks@NASCAR🤝," Larson wrote.

Larson is leading the Playoff race and the regular season standings. He is inching closer to his second regular season title, with the first coming in 2021.