When rain disrupted Kyle Larson‘s bid to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — leaving him unable to turn a single lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway — he returned to the track determined to put on a show.
“I don’t want to say it’s a chip, but I think the fact that he didn’t get to race here and Indy didn’t turn out too good, that was the extra motivation,” team owner Rick Hendrick said.
Larson raced to his Cup Series-high sixth victory of the season Sunday to easily advance to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs, winning on The Roval — the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“I think after some of the comments he made after the Indy-Charlotte experience, he did put a lot of weight on his shoulders, almost feeling like he let his team and fanbase down,” crew chief Cliff Daniels said. “I don’t necessarily think that was fair for him to put on his shoulders, but I know that he did. He’s putting in the work, the intensity, and the determination to be as strong as everybody.”
Larson led a race-high 62 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet to win in a runaway. He beat longtime rival and title contender Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds.
