So, the Busch Light Clash was a rough one on drivers. Kyle Larson is a little worried about how improved these cars are for smaller hits. After the race, Bubba Wallace said that he still had head and back pain after taking a small hit with 8 laps to go. Other drivers felt the pain, too.
During the race, Kyle Larson struggled a lot. It was not easy for him to get up through the field and he had more than one setback. There were bumps and hits and all kinds of wild driving on the track.
All of those bumps add up. Larson says he’s fine, but he understands if guys are sore after Sunday night. Here’s what he had to say to the media after the race.
“I didn’t really — I only had like one moment last year that I remember where it was like, wow, like that was a hard hit. I think we stacked up on a restart at like Sonoma or something.” He went on to talk about how he felt after the Clash.
“I don’t have a headache, but I could see how if others do, it’s no surprise because it was very violent for the majority of the race. We had so many restarts, and like I said, every restart you’re getting just clobbered and then you’re clobbering the guy in front of you. You feel it a lot.”
He’s not quite sure if it is the track, the car, or some combination of the two.
Kyle Larson Weighs the Factors After Rough Night
In the end, Kyle Larson was happy with his performance as he finished 5th overall. Given his time spent in the middle of the pack, he felt the bumps and shoves the whole night. He just doesn’t know what to think about this car and doesn’t have an answer to the pain and bruises drivers feel.
“I don’t think you would see that style of racing with the previous generation car just because they wouldn’t be as strong. You’d knock the radiators out racing like that.
“I think the cars are just so stiff that that’s just kind of how it goes. Not saying it’s right, but the cars are built that way. Yeah, I don’t really know how to answer it other than that.”
So, there you have it. We are going to likely be dealing with this safety stuff for a long time. I’m not sure what the answer is, but the drivers would sure like to have some kind of closure. If those low-speed hits hurt, what will happen at Daytona and other tracks?
