NASCAR hits Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suárez with critical speeding penalty in Stage 3
Before the race, Section 7 on pit road was a problem. Now, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suárez have been penalized by NASCAR. Larson, Elliott, and Gibbs were contending for the win prior to the penalty.
Now, Kyle Larson and the others are going to the rear of the field. This is a gift for drivers like Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron. Without those drivers, especially the 5, 9, and 54, the path to victory has gotten easier.
Of course, Larson is no stranger to driving from the rear to the front. He might just shock everyone and pull it off after all. Final stage of the race, this is where you leave it all on the track.
Jeff Gluck of The Athletic shared Larson’s thoughts on the penalty.
33 cars sped on pit road in Section 7 prior to the race today. Teams knew that it was a sensitive area. Late in the race, these four drivers just got a little too comfortable. This could be a tough penalty for all four drivers if they aren’t able to get back to the front half of the field.
Kyle Larson was in the mix today. He still has a chance to get back towards the front. This track is big and wide and allows for passing if you have a fast car. That is, until you get to the leaders. Then passing comes at a premium, but is still doable.
There have already been multiple cautions after this incident. If this race continues to be messy, Larson, Elliott, Gibbs, and even Suárez, might have a chance to get to the front again.
Kyle Larson ‘surprised’ by Tyler Reddick
One driver that has surprised Kyle Larson with his recent performances, and current points standing, is Tyler Reddick. At the beginning of the season, it looked like it would be Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin that Larson had to worry about. Then that changed.
Lately, it has been Chase Elliott who is on the heels of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Of course, the Hamlin rivalry is always in the background, even in the points battle.
Kelly Crandall of RACER.com asked Larson if he keeps up with the points battle week to week. He said he “absolutely” does.
“I pay attention to it a lot.”
Kyle Larson also revealed why he was shocked by Tyler Reddick recently.
“[Reddick] has surprised me where he’s at currently because I feel like he’s just been quiet, which is odd for Tyler Reddick,” Larson said, via Crandall. “I was surprised [because] before Chicago, I looked and was like, ‘Man, he’s actually within range.’ I’ve just been so focused the last four or five weeks on the No. 9 [Chase Elliott] and the No. 11 [Denny Hamlin], and then it was like, ‘Wow, he could easily steal this thing.’”
Over the last three races, Tyler Reddick has picked up a lot of points. It has allowed him to get within 12 points of second-place Chase Elliott and only 23 points behind Kyle Larson.