Kyle Larson put collectively a dominant efficiency on the Darlington Raceway on Sunday night time, main 263 laps and ending fourth within the NASCAR Cup Sequence regular-season finale.
When the factors have been tallied after the primary 26 races of the 2024 season, Larson was only one marker behind Tyler Reddick, who gained the regular-season crown and the 15 playoff factors that include it.
Larson, who’s the primary seed within the Cup Sequence playoffs, earned 10 extra playoff factors for his second-place standing, however the 5 he missed out on might show to be pricey.
In 2022, Larson missed the Spherical of 8 by simply two factors, a product of a championship hangover season during which he solely gained two races within the common season. Larson is aware of firsthand that each level issues, making his defeat for the regular-season title that rather more puzzling.
In fact, it is not only one race that decides a season-long championship — self-inflicted crashes at Michigan and Chicago went a great distance in figuring out Larson’s destiny — however one race, particularly, stands out because the turning level within the battle for the title.
On Might 26, Larson, who was planning on working the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the identical day, had a troublesome determination to make: With the Indy 500 being delayed on account of rain, ought to he keep and chase an Indianapolis 500 win, or fly to Charlotte and compete within the Cup Sequence race?
Larson selected to remain in Indianapolis and full his maiden Indy 500 run, flying to Charlotte instantly after the conclusion of the race in an effort to at the very least end the Coke 600, which Justin Allgaier began in his place.
Mockingly, the identical storm system that delayed Larson’s IndyCar debut was the demise knell for the World 600, which was known as official at lap 249, simply minutes after Larson arrived on the monitor and adjusted fireplace fits.
Even when he had completed the Coke 600 that night, he would not have been awarded championship factors — NASCAR solely awards factors to the driving force that begins the race, no matter a driver change — however the determination to prioritize the Indy 500 grew to become the point of interest of any NASCAR dialog for the subsequent week.
There was additionally a query of whether or not or not Larson can be given a waiver to compete within the playoffs after lacking the race at Charlotte, however NASCAR granted Larson the waiver after the June 2 race in St. Louis. On June 9, Larson gained his third race of 2024 at Sonoma, which might’ve locked him into the postseason even when his waiver had been denied.
Almost three months later, nonetheless, Larson’s determination, whether or not proper or improper, got here again to harm him at a pivotal level of the season. Larson nonetheless has a cushty cushion and is rightfully seen as a championship favourite, but when he is eradicated by a slim margin, the selection to prioritize Indy over Charlotte will as soon as extra be positioned underneath the microscope.
