Kyle Larson finished fifth in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway as William Byron ran out of fuel while leading on the final lap to finish 28th.
Kyle Larson expressed his disappointment with his performance at Michigan, stating “I was junk all day” after finishing fifth. He took responsibility for his lacklustre performance, admitting that it wasn’t due to fuel saving but rather his own driving as he pointed the finger of blame in his own direction.
Larson’s teammate, William Byron, had a strong run but ultimately finished 28th after running out of fuel with just over a lap to go. This led Dale Earnhardt Jr. to suggest that Byron has surpassed Larson as the top driver at Hendrick Motorsports at this moment in time.
The race was won by Denny Hamlin, and a “jealous” comment was overheard by Kyle Busch as he celebrated. Bubba Wallace also rewarded himself for a top-five finish, while the race was briefly red-flagged after another Hendrick star had a frightening crash.
Larson reflected harshly on his performance, telling Frontstretch: “I mean I was saving fuel from the drop of the green flag on that restart, but I wasn’t dropping back really because of saving fuel.
“My balance was really bad at that point, and a little bit of saving fuel but even if I was pushing I would’ve finished fifth, probably worse ’cause I’d have ran out of fuel. Just a tough day but a good finish.
“I was best when the shade was out but I was junk all day. We were not very good but we made the most out of it, so I’m proud with that.”
During the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. hinted that Byron might be surpassing Larson in the hierarchy at Hendrick Motorsports, elaborating his thoughts later on Amazon Prime Video’s post-race show.
“Yeah, the last couple of weeks, I think that he’s [Byron] eclipsed Larson as the best car at Hendrick Motorsports,” observed Dale Jr.
“Nobody’s really been able to say that for a long time. Larson was so good throughout the majority of this season, but he’s stumbled and kind of been kind of neutralized a little bit over the last couple of weeks.
“We know that won’t last forever, but Byron needs to take advantage of that and try to go out there and get his wins. He’s got a really good shot to separate himself from that pack and put himself in a championship contender form.”
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