Kyle Larson slams into Denny Hamlin after being turned by Daniel Suárez at Iowa
Well, the fastest car on the track has now wrecked. Kyle Larson got sent into Denny Hamlin after contact from Daniel Suárez. Larson had just won Stage 2 before the wreck, his 8th stage win of the NASCAR season.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson had a small moment earlier in the race. However, this was a big moment. The 99 got into the back of the 5 and up toward the wall the car went. The 11 was there waiting and was pinched into the wall by Larson.
Larson has suspension issues and possibly a broken toe link. Meanwhile, Hamlin had to pit to make adjustments after his steering was knocked off-kilter.
Out of the three drivers who were involved, Daniel Suárez came out just fine. He got loose, got into Larson, and just kept it going straight.
Kyle Larson had to go down pit road for tires and an adjustment. Then he was on the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock when his team had too many men over the wall. On top of going a lap down on pit road, he had to be held for two laps for that penalty under DVP.
Iowa Speedway is providing us with unpredictability. That makes for the best races. Since the tires are wearing out so much, drivers are having fits to keep the wheel straight. This is going to get more interesting before it’s over, folks.
Kyle Larson trying to stay in the race at Iowa
The No. 5 team is doing all they can to put Kyle Larson in this race and keep him in it. However, it doesn’t look great, to be honest. The toe link is at the very least bent, if not broken. That means steering and handling will be off by quite a bit.
Hamlin is also dealing with similar issues, but to a lesser degree. Hamlin was actually able to stay on the lead lap, at least for a while. The leaders did close on him quickly making it difficult to maintain that position on the lead lap.
Today looked like it was going to be another Kyle Larson masterclass. Tire strategy was playing out, he won the stage. Larson even pitted under green by himself for what he thought was a flat tire, went to the back of the field, and still drove to the front again.
While today is more or less over for Larson, the speed he has shown cannot be ignored. It just might be his season to lose.