Kyle Petty praises Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain for impressive battle for the lead at Kansas

Kyle Petty loved the whole of the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway over the weekend, from Stage 1 through to the exhilarating finish between Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher.

Speaking in the days following the race, Petty heaped praise on the aforementioned Larson, along with the No. 1 of Ross Chastain. The duo gave fans an awesome battle during Stage 1 that set the tone for the entire night, and Petty couldn’t get enough of it.

“How about that first stage? Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson,” Petty said, praising the No. 1 and the No. 5. “I know Larson’s a dirt track racer. I know Larson understands the slide move, and he makes that happen. Ross Chastain made it happen yesterday. Those last two or three laps, as they ran door to door, side to side, cutting each other off, looked like something from a Saturday night short track, 20 lap heat race.

“I’m telling you guys, that was fantastic racing. But that was only a glimpse of things to come. Strategy played into this race.”

A missed call on pit road ended up dooming the evening for Chastain, but Larson was able to use his momentum and continue forward, eventually captured the checkered flag at Kansas. It ended up being a disappointing finish for Chastain, but certainly not for Larson.

Regardless, both will be in contention during this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway. We’ll see if Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson can put on another show on Mother’s Day.

Kyle Petty: Kansas ‘may be the greatest race we’ve seen yet’ on intermediate track

Moreover, for all of the complaints of NASCAR’s Next Gen car, it sure seems to deliver more than often at intermediate racetracks. Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway was no exception. 

Some, including Kyle Petty, may go as far as to say that Sunday’s race at Kansas was the best yet at an intermediate racetrack. 

“Do you guys remember when intermediate racetracks were a bore? No, I don’t remember it either. Not since NASCAR came out with the Next Gen,” Petty said. “This car puts on amazing races on intermediate tracks. And yesterday may be the greatest race we’ve seen yet on an intermediate track.”

Beyond the finish, in which Kyle Larson edged out Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds to steal the victory, Sunday’s race featured side-by-side racing throughout each stage. At one point, they were five-wide coming through the front straightaway. And of course, who could forget Larson and Ross Chastain’s battle for the lead during Stage 1.