“That’s all I could think about”: Kyle Larson ‘super happy’ on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s emphatic Daytona 500 victory

Kyle Larson might just be the second happiest driver to leave Daytona International Speedway after yesterday's 65th Daytona 500. The Great American Race saw surprise winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. find himself in the right place at the right time as the Memphis, Tennessee driver was crowned winner after caution flags waved during overtime.

The 500-mile-long race saw the JTG Daugherty driver battle on the tri-oval with friend and fellow dirt track racer Larson in the closing laps of the event. 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Richard Childress racing driver Kyle Busch were also involved in the closing laps, eyeing the big prize and a chance to visit Victory Lane.

Kyle Larson elaborated on how the final few laps of the race panned out for the Hendrick Motorsports driver who didn't manage to finish the race, along with how he was pleased with Stenhouse Jr. managing to win the event in a post-race interview, and said:

"I just had such a run, I didn't know what to do with it. Wish I could play that over again but happy that Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) won, I mean that's all I could think about after I crashed which is waiting to get out and hear that he won. Super happy for him and his team, Chevrolet, but I wish we could've atleast finished."

---

Kyle Larson elaborates on the intensity of his late race crash at Daytona International Speedway

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson might have managed to overcome his dislike for superspeedway racing to perform at a high level during the 65th Daytona 500, but the Elk Grove, California native's luck seems to disagree with his approach.

During the final laps of the 200-lap-long race, Larson was seen amongst the top-6 cars in contention for a victory at the tri-oval, only to be cut short by a wreck involving several cars. Larson took one of the biggest impacts in the chain reaction of spinning cars alongside Brad Keselowski, who was also seen spinning violently on the track.

Larson elaborated on his feelings from behind the wheel after being released from the Infeild Care Center, and said:

"I'm okay, it was definitely a huge hit, most definitely one of the bigger ones I've ever had. But thankfully, you know, the car held up, I guess, and all my safety equipment was fine and I'm fine."

Watch Kyle Larson compete on NASCAR's return to Auto Club Speedway next weekend.