Kyle Larson lined up on top of the third row for the first NASCAR overtime attempt at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon. Behind Noah Gragson and Ross Chastain, Larson saw two well-known aggressive drivers through his windshield.
Chastain pushed Gragson and the No. 42 car slid up the race track. The Trackhouse Racing driver tried to go three-wide through the middle but Gragson moved down and caused a wreck that involved Larson.
The No. 5 car spun down the track and came back up into oncoming traffic. Ryan Preece hit Larson in the passenger side door and absolutely destroyed the left side of his car. It was arguably one of the hardest hits in the NextGen car era.
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Kyle Larson discusses his dangerous crash at Talladega Superspeedway
Larson was able to get out of his damaged No. 5 car and walk away but it was alarming to see the carnage. The vehicle had broken door bars on the left side of the car as they were slightly pushed into the cockpit.
The damage was so bad that NASCAR decided to take the No. 5 car to the R&D Center to get a closer look at what happened. This is exactly what happened to Blaine Perkins’ car after he was treated and released from a local hospital after his violent barrel rolls in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega.
Larson was able to talk after exiting the care center and discussed his violent crash after Preece hit the passenger side of his car at almost full speed.
“Thankfully, I’m okay…(the cockpit)’s a mess…My car is absolutely destroyed. I’m really lucky that nothing got me inside the car. Yeah, it’s a bummer, put ourselves in position once again and get caught up in a wreck that’s not my fault. I guess it is what it is at this point.”
Kyle Larson on his crash at Talladega Superspeedway
This is not the first time that Larson has been involved in a violent crash at Talladega. In 2019, the current Hendrick Motorsports driver was hit on the backstretch and slid down the track before getting airborne and hitting the inside wall.
Then, Larson fractured a rib during the Fall Talladega race in 2019 and raced through it to end the season. It has obviously not been a loving relationship between the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Talladega.
Thankfully, Larson did not get slammed on the driver’s side door because it could have been much worse. Both he and Preece were able to walk away from the incident as the NextGen car does provide the needed safety to allow that to happen.
The crash still needs to be investigated so NASCAR can see what went wrong. It is still very dangerous as the NextGen car is not perfect. Larson will now try to put that wreck in the past and move forward with his already successful season.
In the meantime, whether you are watching it live or looking for how to watch NASCAR on TV or another streaming platform, Sportsnaut has you covered for the upcoming weekend at Dover Motor Speedway!