Kyle Larson reflects on runner-up finish, Bubba Wallace win in Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis

Today, Kyle Larson came up short in his quest for another Brickyard 400 win as Bubba Wallace took the victory in double overtime. The struggles have been obvious for the 5 team lately and today was a nice reprieve from that.

Despite not getting the win, Kyle Larson gets to be happy with another top-five finish. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a tough track to win at. Today, it was about the pit road strategy and getting a little bit lucky with cautions.

Larson was in contention for the win. At times, that’s all you can ask for. Still, he would have liked to have added another Brickyard 400 to his name. He also congratulated Bubba Wallace on the win.

“I mean, the first one played out a little bit better, but I mean, it’s so hard to, you know, it’s kind of the same thing with me last year,” Kyle Larson said. “You know, the leaders get the inside. It’s really hard to beat that. So, you’re kind of just hoping for some good fortune again with fuel and whatnot. But regardless, you know, proud of my team today. We just executed. I don’t think we passed many cars on track but you know our pit crew did a great job and our team did a good job with strategy. So, you know, happy to get a good result like that. Yeah, wish we could have been one spot better.

“But congrats to Bubba. That’s so cool, you know, this is a big race and um, you know, he’s a good dude.”

Kyle Larson and a lot of drivers in the NASCAR Cup garage are going to like this win. Despite whatever the online discourse is, Wallace remains one of the most popular drivers among his peers.

Speaking further, Larson wasn’t sure if he could have done much else to win the race. He put it all out there on the line, and those last two restarts were his chance to make something happen.

“Not really. Obviously, I would love to be one spot better,” Larson continued. “I would love to be kissing the bricks for the second year in a row. But you know, it’s been a rough stretch for us lately. So, to get two top-fives in a row is something I’m proud about.”

Heading into Iowa, Kyle Larson is only 15 points out of the regular-season lead. Chase Elliott and William Byron, his two teammates, stand between him and winning the regular season, along with those bonus playoff points that come with it. Denny Hamlin is in fourth place and only 20 points back. It’s going to be a great battle.