In his fourth-career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at Richmond International Raceway, Kyle Larson was fast early in the weekend and qualified within the top five, but couldn’t find the speed he needed to battle for the lead throughout the 250-lap race, ultimately finishing in 13th position.
With Colgate® Enamel Health TM aboard the No. 42 Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) car, Larson laid down the seventh-fastest lap time during the first practice session, followed by the 14th-fastest time in the second session as crew chief Scott Zipadelli opted not to make a qualifying run. Larson then scored the No. 42 Colgate Chevrolet a fourth-place starting spot after on-again, off-again rain forced knockout qualifying to be resolved in one round. As the green flag waved under the lights, the first caution quickly arose on lap three, and Larson told Zipadelli that he felt pretty loose going around the 0.75-mile oval. The second caution flag waved on lap 74 and Zipadelli called for four new tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment to tighten up the entry and exit on the No. 42 Chevy. Shortly after, the track went yellow once again and Larson told his TSM team that his Chevy took off much better after the recent adjustments. Larson remained on track during the next caution, telling Zipadelli that his Colgate Chevy now felt tight through the corners, but loose in and out, and needed a lot of help with forward drive. When the fifth caution flag waved on lap 167, Zipadelli called Larson to pit road, taking a big swing by giving him four new tires and fuel, along with track-bar and wedge adjustments. By lap 186, the No. 42 Chevy was the fastest car on the track from the ninth position. The final caution arose on lap 227 and Zipadelli called for four new tires, fuel and a quick adjustment to free up the Chevy’s center for the short 18-lap chase to the finish line. On the final lap, however, Larson was running within the top 10 when another competitor took the field three-wide, shuffling the No. 42 Colgate Chevy out of line and into the wall. Despite receiving damage to the right side, Larson held strong and crossed the finish line in 13th position.
Kyle Larson on Richmond International Raceway:
“Well, that didn’t turn out how we had hoped. We had a decent car through practice and qualifying, but we really struggled with handling tonight. I found a good line around the halfway mark and we were really fast, but the track kept changing and I’d go from loose to tight in a matter of a few laps. My guys did a great job behind the wall tonight and Zippy made some big swings to help me out. We’re just putting this race behind us and focusing on Chicago.”
TSM PR
