Kyle Larson looks back on his rookie season in NASCAR after postponed Michigan race

After Sunday's Cup Series race got delayed and postponed due to the weather, Kyle Larson expressed how much he missed the starting times from his rookie season. Larson had started the 400-lap event 4th alongside Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell.

Kyle Larson emerged as a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. Although he didn't win a race that year, the Elk Grove native delivered 17 top 10s in 36 races and also won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.

However, what he misses the most about his rookie season is the starting times of the races. Races back then used to start around 1 p.m. Recalling the same, the 2021 Cup Series champion posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"I miss the 1pm start times from my rookie season…. 😔"

Sunday's race, i.e., the FireKeepers Casino 400, was originally scheduled to start at 2:30 PM ET. However, weather conditions led to a delay in the green flag drop until 4:55 PM ET. The drivers were able to complete the first stage of the race before NASCAR decided to postpone the same (on lap 51) to Monday at 11 AM ET.

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney won the opening stage of the race. He was among the handful of drivers who did not pit during the caution brought out by Denny Hamlin spinning out on lap 38. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron, followed by 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace and RFK Racing's Chris Buescher made the top 5 in Stage 1.

Bubba Wallace passes Kyle Larson at Michigan

Kyle Larson led the opening 34 laps in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy with Denny Hamlin tailing him for the second. However, on lap 35, Wallace veered to the inside and chased down both of them in his No. 23 Camry. Soon, Wallace was leading the pack, flaunting a speed of 199 mph on his machine.

Reflecting on Wallace's move, NASCAR on NBC posted:

"Bubba Wallace PASSED THEM BOTH."

"He rockets to the race lead past Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. #NASCAR"

Hamlin held on to the second position while Kyle Larson fell to the third. Wallace's teammate Tyler Reddick was tailing Larson in P4 and Christopher Bell was running P5 at the time. Kyle Larson was 7th when the race was called. His teammate, Chase Elliott, was leading the race when the officials waved the red flag.

Rain had caused a delay in Saturday's Xfinity Series race as well. Interestingly, 2024 is going to be the second straight year for Michigan International Speedway to finish a race on Monday.

According to an official report by NASCAR, last year's race at the 2-mile racetrack had to be postponed as well. The drivers were able to run 74 of 200 laps that day. Chris Buescher bagged the victory a day later.