'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kyle Larson's P7 finish at the NASCAR race at Phoenix does not do justice to the hardships he endured throughout the 312 laps of the Instacart 500 on Sunday.
The first blow came the night before the race, as Kyle Larson was forced to fall to the rear after failing a pre-race inspection on two occasions. The No.5 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver was scheduled for a second-place start but began the race from P32 instead.
To add to the misery, Larson fell to the back of the field two more times during the race because of speeding on the pit road.
The speed limit on the pit road was 45 mph, while Larson was clocked at 50.01 mph. The NASCAR ruling suggests that drivers will not face a penalty unless they are 5 mph over the limit.
This is uncharacteristic for Kyle Larson, as he has only two speeding penalties in 50 races.
Also read: Rewind to Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez's ugly fight at Phoenix
Kyle Larson fought back every time
He fell to the back of the race at crucial junctures of the Instacart 500. However, Kyle Larson's championship pedigree helped him find a way to the front of the grid on each occasion.
After starting from 32nd, Kyle Larson rallied his way to P8, before he fell to the rear for his first pit road speeding penalty.
The 28-year-old admitted he had a decent car on the day, which helped him get back up to P2, only to be penalized for speeding on the pit road again.
Also read: Husband, wife to race each other in NASCAR Truck race at Bristol
He also had a narrow escape with Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch. The two came together but averted a potential caution during lap 30 of Stage 2.
While Kyle Larson fans might have thought of this as the end, the No. 5 driver had some fight left in him. He was seen in a tussle with Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott for the fifth spot after pitting with 63 laps to go.
Regular blocks by Brad Keselowski in the dying stages of the race meant that Larson couldn't finish any higher than P7.
Martin Truex Jr., who had the best car on the track at Phoenix, took the checkered flag. In doing so, he registered his 28th Cup Series win and his first at Phoenix International Raceway.
Also read: Did crew chief cost Bubba Wallace a top 10?
What did Kyle Larson say post-race?
Speaking about his struggles during the race, Kyle Larson said:
"Yeah, I hadn’t felt loose in all day and that last run, I got loose in and just couldn’t get in the corners as aggressive as I needed to. I ended up guarding my entry zones; my angles for exit aren’t great. It just kind of made everything harder. The No. 9 (Chase Elliott) and No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) got behind me and finished seventh. It was weird that I hadn’t had it all day, but all-in-all, I had a really fast car again. That’s very promising and just have to clean up mistakes on my end and have a smoother race."
Kyle Larson currently sits fifth in the standings with 179 points. This season he has one win and two top-5s. Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. round out the top-four.
Also read: 3 takeaways from the Phoenix race
