The first NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race of the season did not exactly go well for one-time Kyle Larson, as a fiery wreck left him all the way in the back in 37th place.
Larson’s No. 5 vehicle was racing in the corner at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he got loose and took a hard right turn into the wall. As he came down the banking, Chase Briscoe tagged him as he could not get around the cloud of smoke that Larson sent toward incoming drivers.
Chase Briscoe, #14, is involved in a wreck with Kyle Larson, #5, around Turn 2 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia. (AP Photo/Greg McWilliams)
Both walked away unscathed and were cleared by medical professionals at the infield care center.
“Thankfully everything held up well inside of the car,” Larson told NBC Sports. “That was a huge hit. I’m not really sure, like, what caused it. I was actually sort of like tight loaded in the corner. That was pretty far out the corner and stepped out. I don’t know. It just all happened really fast.”
Briscoe said he could not slow down fast enough to get around Larson.
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“I knew he was coming down the racetrack and just kept trying to feed the thing left and slow it down, and I couldn’t get left quick enough and then he kind of started sliding back down the track at the very last minute, so I tried to turn back right to avoid him and just KO’d him. It was a big hit. One of the biggest hits I’ve had in a long time,” he added.
Larson entered the Atlanta race as the top driver and Briscoe snuck into the playoff field with a win at Darlington.
Kyle Larson speaks to media members during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 4, 2024. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
Joey Logano picked up the victory in Atlanta with Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman. Logano is now in a great position to make the Round of 12.
Larson is in 10th place. He is 15 points above the cut line. Briscoe is now in 16th place and 21 points below the cut line.
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