“It was not a pretty day”: Kyle Larson makes the most of his Michigan adversity, pushing not 'very fast’ car to a strong finish

Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson had a topsy-turvy outing despite securing a top-five finish during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway (June 8). After the race, he expressed disappointment at missing out on a win and not having speed throughout the day.

In his post-race interview with NBC Sports, Kyle Larson admitted that his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet didn’t have speed, but he managed to score a solid top-five finish at the two-mile-long Michigan track. He described how his 400-mile race unfolded under difficult circumstances and praised his team’s resilience despite the lack of speed early in the race.

On his top-five Michigan finish, here’s what the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion said (via NBC Sports):

“It was not a pretty day, We weren’t very fast, but we were able to get a top five. Days like today aren’t the most fun, but they feel really good, too. Proud of the whole team. Wish we could have got a win for Chevrolet, but we’ll try again next year. Days like last week and this week were very similar. We weren’t fast on speed but made the most out of it last week and today.”

“For a point of that last run, I thought we might have a shot to win. So it just says a lot about the team and how really strong we’ve stayed through some bits of adversity.”

The #5 HMS Chevrolet driver, who started the race from fifth place, finished inside the top 10 after Stage 1 and outside the top 10 after Stage 2. Larson failed to lead a single lap but claimed his second back-to-back top-10 finish, marking his 11th top-10 finish of the season. Additionally, he has had three wins and nine top-five finishes so far this season.

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“I was surprised running 75-80 percent” – Kyle Larson on losing balance during the race

Earlier in the aforementioned interview, reflecting on the tough Michigan race, Kyle Larson also shared that he initially felt comfortable running at only 75-80% effort while still keeping pace with the leaders, which eventually bit him in the end.

“I thought early I was surprised running 75-80 percent I could just kind of maintain the gap. Then those other guys started coming, and my balance was already shot by then anyway. I didn’t think I had a chance to push even if I wanted. I ran that whole last run not hitting wide open more than 2-3 seconds. Just glad to make it.” Larson said (via NBC Sports).

With a P5 finish, Kyle Larson gained 36 points and moved to second place in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season points table with 535 points. Catch him next in action at the inaugural NASCAR Mexico race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday, June 15.