"Stop blaming Goodyear" - Bristol winner Kyle Larson pushes back against tire wear complaints

Bristol winner Kyle Larson came to the aid of Goodyear tire on Tuesday on social media. The 28-time Cup Series winner told fans to stop blaming the tire company for the passing struggles in Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

In a lengthy post to his personal X account, the 2021 Cup Series champion said it's always tough to pass at the 0.5-mile short track and that they're trying to assist the NextGen car with different tire compounds in an attempt to create more passing.

The five-time winner this season said he doesn't have a solution, but urged to not blame Goodyear for the difficulties in passing. He said:

"I don’t have the answer to fix what we currently have and neither do you but please stop blaming Goodyear. It’s not a tire problem."

The California native led 462 of 500 laps en route to victory in Saturday's race, which ended up being a historic performance for the driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. However, the race sparked criticism from fans and racing insiders for the lack of tire wear, which inevitably made it difficult for cars to pass each other.

In the post, Larson conceded that BMS has seen its fair share of "duds" where one driver dominates the whole race, but said the Tennessee track has certainly seen its thrillers.

The 11-year veteran driver also said he remembers Bristol has always been a tough track to pass cars at, and it's been that way in recent memory. He added:

"Speed on pit road and most likely there’s a good chance you’re going a lap down on the next run. That’s the way it is and has been for a very long time."

Larson wrote that they're used to more "natural" caution periods because cars could run closer together, and eventually, someone's right front tire would blow out from overheating. He wrote that he doesn't necessarily want that in the future, but that the car is more to blame for lack of passing than the tires.

"I’m not saying I want tires to explode again but we’re trying to crutch this race car on short tracks with the tire and then blame Goodyear every week cause cars can’t pass."

Larson ended the post telling critics of Saturday's race to not get their hopes up for frequent passing every week due to the circumstances of the car. He wrote:

"Temper your expectations. We’re driving spec race cars."

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Kyle Larson voiced his displeasure with race fans after a recent poll

Tuesday's X post hasn't been the only time Kyle Larson has been vocal this week about the criticism of Saturday's race. The champion driver took issue with a recent X poll done by racing insider and The Athletic writer Jeff Gluck regarding whether or not Bristol was a good race.

In Gluck's weekly poll asking fans whether the previous race was good or not, only 27.2 percent said "yes" to Bristol being a good race. Larson took to X and suggested that if he lost the race and if the race saw two overtime restarts, the voting would've been different.

"Lead 450 laps but have 2 overtime restarts and lose and I guarantee the percentage is flip flopped. That’s our fan base."

The 27.2 percent was the lowest percentage of "yes" voters out of all previous Bristol race polls the insider has done. It also ranks the lowest of Larson's 31 career victories, 28 points-paying, three All-Star victories, and 55th of 56 short track races.