"That was probably the longest flip I’ve ever had": When Kyle Larson reflected on his 'scary' Talladega crash

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson has survived near-death experiences in all series, but his Talladega Speedway crash was different. In an interview with Autoweek in 2019, he expressed his feelings about his "longest flip" at the track.

Larson debuted in NASCAR's top-tier racing series in 2013 with Phoenix Racing and drove the #51 Chevy for one season. Then, he landed a full-time seat with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014 and piloted the #42 Chevy for seven seasons. In 2021, he moved to Hendrick Motorsports and clinched his one and only Cup Series championship title the same year.

Larson has witnessed some near-death moments during his stellar career. One of them took place during the 2019 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. On April 28, 2019, during the final lap of the 188-lap race, David Ragan's #38 Ford collided with William Byron's #24 Chevy, starting a chain reaction.

The collision spun out Byron's car and sent Kyle Larson's #42 Chevy and Jeffery Earnhardt's #81 Toyota across the track into the barriers. However, Larson's car got airborne and flipped at least six times before making contact with the SAFER barriers.

Recalling the horrific moment, the #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver stated, via Autoweek:

"That was probably the longest flip I’ve ever had. I didn’t know if it would ever stop. I knew I was flipping and was just hoping that I wasn’t going to get any closer to the catch fence, so it was a little bit scary, but, thankfully, I’m all right."

Chase Elliott won the race, leading 45 laps and securing 57 points. Alex Bowman was the runner-up, while Kyle Larson finished in 24th place, one spot behind David Ragan.

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"I just feel like we haven’t had consistency": Kyle Larson on his unpredictable 2025 Cup Series start

The 2021 Cup Series champion, Kyle Lason, had a rollercoaster beginning to the 2025 Cup Series season. He had a slow start in the 'Greatest American Race,' the Daytona 500. He qualified outside the top 20 drivers and finished the race in P20. Then, he bagged a podium finish at the Atlanta Motor Speedway event despite starting the race from P17.

Larson had a disappointing run at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). He had a solid qualifying session and secured P7; however, he was unlucky in the race and ended his day with a P32 finish. Then again, at the Phoenix Raceway event, he replicated the Atlanta Motor Speedway results. In the last Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished among the top ten drivers.

During a pre-race interview at the 1.5-mile track, Kyle Larson reflected on his inconsistent performance and stated:

“I just feel like we haven’t had consistency really to start, whether that be kind of everything coming together. So I’m hoping that this week, a track that we have success at in the past, you know, we can kind of put it all together and have a solid weekend and then go to another track next week where I’m really confident and try and just put a few good races in a row together.”

The Elk Grove, California-native, Kyle Larson, ranks sixth on the points table with 132 points. He led 73 laps and secured two stage wins, two top-five, and three top-ten finishes in five starts.