Earlier this week, Kyle Larson found himself issuing an apology to Dale Earnhardt Jr. after missing a scheduled interview spot. During the latest episode of DJD Reloaded, host Carla Gebhart brought up the incident right at the start of her conversation with Larson, reminding him of the missed interview that was supposed to take place on The Dale Jr. Download.
Kyle Larson, a 32-year-old native of California and driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, recently secured a dominant victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. The race saw Larson leading for an impressive 462 laps before clinching first place. Despite his on-track success, Larson admitted to being unaware of the missed podcast appearance until his public relations representative, Jon Edwards, informed him after the fact.
“There’s really no good reason. I don’t know if I didn’t see it on my calendar or it just wasn’t on my calendar,” Larson explained during the interview. “But yeah, I didn’t know I missed it until Jon Edwards told me I missed it yesterday at like 5:00.”
After realizing the oversight, Larson quickly expressed his regret, taking the opportunity to apologize to Dale Earnhardt Jr., saying: “I apologize Dale. Apparently, I’m not good on my phone. So I apologize.”
During his appearance on DJD Reloaded, Larson not only addressed his missed interview but also shared his thoughts on several hot topics, including his recent victory at Bristol and the broader conversations surrounding the state of NASCAR racing at the famed track. Larson defended the quality of racing at Bristol, which has come under fire due to criticisms about the difficulty of passing and a lack of tire wear. He even took to social media platform X to offer his perspective, calling for fans and critics alike to “temper their expectations” when it comes to races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“We’re driving spec race cars,” Larson said, addressing the complaints. He emphasized that Bristol has always been a tough track for passing, and while the race might not have lived up to some fans’ expectations, Larson pushed back against the idea that Goodyear tires were to blame for the lack of tire wear. Instead, he urged everyone to understand that with the current era of spec cars, the racing product at a track like Bristol can be different from what some might want.
Larson’s dominant performance at the Bass Pro Night Race at Bristol saw him leading a staggering 462 of the 500 total laps. In addition to the win, he swept all three stages, walking away from the event with a total of 60 points. This victory helped Larson climb back up in the playoff standings after he had slipped in previous weeks due to a DNF (Did Not Finish) at Atlanta and a 12th-place finish at Watkins Glen. As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue, Larson’s return to form couldn’t have come at a better time.
Looking ahead, Larson also talked about the next stop on the NASCAR calendar—Kansas Speedway. During his conversation with Gebhart, he mentioned that Kansas is one of the best tracks for the Next Gen cars, expressing optimism about the upcoming race as the playoff battle intensifies.
Despite Larson’s enthusiasm and defense of the Bristol race, not everyone in the NASCAR community agreed with his take. Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, challenged Larson’s post-race comments during an episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast. While Kraft acknowledged that Larson’s opinion wasn’t entirely unfounded, he argued that the style of racing on display at Bristol wasn’t necessarily good for NASCAR. Kraft went on to explain that the race felt more like a series of qualifying laps rather than a competitive event with strategy and tire management coming into play.
“If I had just led 462 laps I’d have said, ‘Please don’t change a f**king thing!’” Kraft said, sarcastically noting how leading so many laps would naturally make any driver happy. He added, “That’s not what I think is ideal racing for us. You want to have every chance where you can just manage your car, can’t just run 500 qualifying laps. That’s just the way I feel.”
Kraft didn’t hold back, further criticizing the race by saying, “Any time we have a race where we’re just running wide open all the time, not saving anything, the race kinda sks, and the race on Saturday night, sked. It’s because this guy led 460 laps of 500 which I think was most since Cale Yarborough in 1977.”
As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue, the focus now shifts to Kansas Speedway, which will host the opening race of the Round of 12 on September 29. With Larson in strong form after his Bristol win, the intermediate track showdown promises to be an exciting race as drivers fight to advance further into the playoffs. For Larson, this could be another chance to prove his dominance and solidify his standing as one of the top contenders for the 2024 Cup Series title.
