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Former NASCAR champion Kyle Larson sarcastically compared the recent Cup Series race in Bristol to a real-life arcade game.
For the fifth race of the season, NASCAR took a trip to Tennessee, hitting the iconic tracks of Bristol Motor Speedway. The surface, which earlier used to host the only dirt race of the NASCAR season, reverted to concrete for the Food City 500 race in the 2024 campaign.
The race wasn't without its fair share of high-voltage drama. The track's tire wear issues marred the Truck Series race on Saturday. The same tire troubles were inflicted on the Cup drivers on Sunday afternoon, testing out their tire management skills in a shift from the norm.
The race featured more than 50 lead changes between 16 different drivers. While there were many backing the enhanced racing experience, some drivers expressed their frustrations with the track. Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson, in particular, was one of them.
Larson was vocal about his displeasure with the Bristol surface, expressing his desire to never compete on a similar track. The 31-year-old recently also shared his experience during the 500-lap event on X (formerly Twitter). Larson wrote:
"Couldn't believe what I was seeing out of my windshield. Real life arcade game."
Despite his struggles, Larson managed to secure a commendable fifth-place finish in Bristol. Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, the 52nd Cup victory of his career.
Kyle Larson on his "weird and interesting" experience in Bristol
Speaking to the media after the race, Larson described his initial expectation of rubber being laid down on the track, only to realize after the second run that this was not the case. He explained (via Motorsport.com):
"It was weird and interesting. I thought some rubber was going to be laid down, but after the second run, we realized that wasn’t going to be the case."
"There at the end, we were all dying and whatnot, and everybody’s afraid to pit because you just didn’t want to get caught on pit road with somebody spinning out and then you’re laps down," said Larson.
Despite his troubles on the given day, Kyle Larson's fifth-place finish now sees the Hendrick Motorsports ace leading the NASCAR Cup Series standings. After five races in the 2024 season, Larson has two top-5 finishes and 185 points, tied with the second-placed JGR veteran Martin Truex Jr.
