Kyle Larson hit with critical pit road penalty at the end of Stage 2 at Watkins Glen

Today at Watkins Glen has been one thing after another for Kyle Larson. At the end of Stage 2 he was hit with a big penalty. NASCAR got Larson on vehicle interference on pit road and that is going to cost him even more track position.

With that penalty, Kyle Larson will have to go further back in the field. He has had trouble since the start. A lack of speed, issues racing through traffic, and problems like this vehicle interference penalty have plagued the 5 team.

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Larson apologized to his team after the penalty was handed down. He felt that he was being “extremely cautious” according to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

Kyle Larson apologizes for the penalty, saying he thought he was being "extremely cautious."

— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) September 15, 2024

Erik Jones was in his pit box already being serviced. Kyle Larson attempted to make his box as best he could. However, Larson crowded the crew of the 43 car and that is where the interference penalty comes in. It is a safety measure for pit crew members and Larson squeezed in a little too closely.

It has been a struggle today for the 5 team. Nothing has worked and they are going to try their best to move up through this field and make the most of the day.

Denny Hamlin fumes at Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski

How could this day, no, these NASCAR Playoffs, get any worse for Denny Hamlin? He was just in his second wreck of the afternoon. This time, Hamlin was sent into the wall after going three-wide with Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski.

Of course, Denny Hamlin was not happy after the wreck. He is watching his championship hopes fade away after just a couple of races in the postseason. Not to mention, Larson and Keselowski are two drivers he is competing against in the playoffs.

“They spun us,” someone was heard saying on Hamlin’s radio. The veteran driver wanted to know who had spun them and his team let them know exactly how it went down. Kyle Larson squeezed Brad Keselowski and Hamlin was the odd man out.

A tough break for many of these drivers today. Wrecks, penalties, and more have put playoff drivers in precarious positions today. So, it will be very interesting to see how this all shakes out.