Kyle Larson’s frustrating afternoon at Phoenix Raceway has come to an abrupt end, and there won’t be any last-minute comeback for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
After fighting an ill-handling race car throughout Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500, Larson slammed into the wall with a flat right-front tire, bringing out the caution and sending his No. 5 Chevrolet to the garage.
At first, the question was whether his crew could make enough repairs to get him back on track.
The answer came quickly. Larson was done for the day.
NASCAR reporter Jordan Bianchi confirmed that Hendrick Motorsports would be unable to repair the damage, officially ending Larson’s race.
It’s a crushing finish to an afternoon that had already been going downhill long before the crash.
Kyle Larson’s Phoenix Race Ends After Trip to Garage
Larson never looked particularly comfortable Sunday, spending much of the race battling a Chevrolet that lacked the grip and speed needed to move through the field.
As the laps wore on, his frustration became increasingly apparent over the team radio.
“No grip. No turn. Definitely no rear,” Larson said during an extended green-flag run.
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The numbers told a similar story.
At one point, Larson ranked 30th in average speed over the previous five, 10, 15, 20 and 30 laps, according to data shared during the race. He was losing ground rather than making the progress his team desperately needed.
Then came the incident that ended any chance of salvaging his afternoon.
Larson suffered a flat right-front tire and hit the wall, triggering a caution. He initially made his way down pit road before the No. 5 Chevrolet was taken to the garage for more extensive work.
But the damage proved too much for his crew to repair, ending his race prematurely.
A Miserable Day Gets Even Worse for Hendrick Motorsports
Long before the contact with the wall, Larson had already delivered a brutally candid assessment of his car.
“It didn’t feel completely like ass, but we were completely like ass,” Larson said after an earlier restart on two tires.
It was the kind of radio message that summed up an afternoon in which little seemed to go right.
Larson struggled to find speed, battled persistent handling problems and ultimately watched his race unravel when the right-front tire went flat.
The garage trip was the final blow.
For Larson and Hendrick Motorsports, the focus now shifts from trying to rescue a difficult afternoon to understanding what went wrong and moving forward from an early exit at Phoenix.
Kyle Larson Heads to Garage After Phoenix Crash, Done for the Day