Larson Battles for a Sixth-Place Finish at Darlington

In his second-career start at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson proved the “Too Tough To Tame” track could be conquered, but not without his fair share of Darlington stripes on the No. 42 Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet Camaro. Larson and his Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) team made it through both NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) practices with speed on their side, running the third and eighth fastest lap times among the field. Larson and the No. 42 car made it through the first two rounds of NNS qualifying with top-five speeds, but as the final round began, Larson lost control of his car through Turn 2 and made extensive contact with the wall. His run, however, was good enough for a 12th-place starting position for the VFW Sport Clip Help A Hero 200. With wide-range damage to the right side, the TSM team worked diligently to repair the primary car before the start of race. As the green flag waved, Larson and the No. 42 Cartwheel Chevy dropped to the back of the field due to unapproved adjustments after qualifying, but within the first 30 laps, Larson was running just outside the top five. Throughout the 147-lap race, crew chief Scott Zipadelli called Larson down pit road three times under caution for four new tires, fuel and adjustments to correct his loose handling. After a tight battle with rookie Chase Elliott for second place, the final caution of the night arose and Zipadelli ordered a right-side tire change for the No. 42 Cartwheel Chevy. Restarting in the first position with just two laps to go, Larson’s car got tight, forcing him to drop to the sixth position when the checkered flag waved.

Kyle Larson on Racing at Darlington Raceway: 

“It’s been a rough weekend so far here at Darlington [Raceway]. We made it through practice without a scratch and we were really fast. Then, we were even better during qualifying but I was going for the pole and just lost it in Turn 2. This entire Turner Scott Motorsports organization came together and worked their butts off to repair our primary car before the race. I was pretty loose most of the night but towards the end of the race, I got tight. It was fun racing up front with Chase [Elliott] and I’m happy to see him get another win. I wish that could’ve been us out front this time around, but I learned a lot tonight and can’t thank my team enough for their hard work.”

TSM PR