Kyle Larson made his second-career start at Talladega Superspeedway during Saturday afternoon’s Aaron’s 312 and despite suffering major damage to his No. 42 Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet, the 21-year-old drove to a 30th-place finish after spending nearly 40 laps in the garage to repair damages. During the weekend’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) practice, Larson and his Turner Scott Motorsports team laid down the fourth-fastest lap time, followed by the third-fastest and best 10-consecutive lap average in the final practice session. In NASCAR’s second execution of knockout qualifying at a restrictor-plate track, Larson and the No. 42 Cartwheel Chevy fought hard to find speed during the first two rounds, and ultimately landed a 20th-place starting position for the 117-lap race. Shortly after the green flag waved at Dega Nation, Larson communicated to crew chief Scott Zipadelli that his handling felt good but he was having a tough time finding speed. The No. 42 Cartwheel car received two right-side tires and fuel under the fist caution, and opted for a four-tire change during the second caution. With 50 laps into the Aaron’s 312, the field was seeing three and four-wide racing into each turn, and by lap 62, several competitors began wrecking ahead. Despite his efforts to dodge the accident, Larson got collected and received major damage to the nose of the Cartwheel Chevy. Zipadelli called Larson to the NNS garage and the TSM team worked diligently to make the necessary repairs to finish the race. Nearly 40 laps later, a modified No. 42 Cartwheel Chevy returned to the field with less than 15 laps remaining. Hoping to salvage any points he could for his TSM team, Larson managed to gain a couple track positions in the final laps and crossed the finish line in the 30th spot.
Kyle Larson on Racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
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