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Defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson had a rough weekend at the Phoenix Raceway that left him in a critical condition on the Cup Series points table. Initially, Kyle led the Cup Series table with 113 points with one win, one pole, and 2 top-ten finishes.
Following the recently concluded Ruoff Mortgage 500, Kyle Larson now stands in fourth place with 126 points, adding only 13 from the Ruoff Mortgage. His place was taken by Joey Logano, who is leading by 136 points with 0 wins and one top-ten finish.
Kyle Larson was the favorite to win this race, however, things started going south even before kick-off. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet qualified in the first round, posting the seventh position.
Having qualified for the second round, Kyle Larson had hopes of carrying the pole at the end of the race. Before the end of the second round, he encountered a steering problem, and as a result, his team announced that he will be starting Sunday’s event at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.
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On Twitter, Jamie Little went ahead and posted an interview with Larson after the race. Larson highlighted why he didn't have a chance to lead. He went ahead and stated that:
“I thought we were a fourth or fifth place car. Just hoping it would be a little bit better than that but unfortunately, the valve spring broke.”
Larson went ahead and started the race in the rear field as expected as he tried to catch up to the lead. With less than 50 laps to go, the #5 encountered another heartbreaking moment after his car broke its valve spring. This left him with no other option other than to visit the garage and he was done for the day.
Kyle Larson's past performances in the NASCAR Cup Series 2022 season
In the past four races, Larson has recorded two ten finishes and Ruoff Mortgage 500 has added another disappointing finish after the Daytona 500.
The defending champion was the winner at the Auto Club Speedway, which marked his first win of the season. He went ahead and finished as a runner-up at Las Vegas Speedway and was hoping to win his second race at the Phoenix Raceway, but things went sideways.
The last time he won at the Phoenix Raceway was in November 2021, a win that meant a lot to him as it marked his 10th win of the 2021 season. It was also his first win at the Phoenix Raceway in 15 starts at the Raceway.
