Crash-filled NNS race a sign of things to come, driver says
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kyle Larson's day came to an early end in a flurry of caution periods in the first half of Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race. After a handful of spins and crashes, Larson hinted that the amount of carnage could repeat itself in Sunday's main event at Kansas Speedway.
Larson's No. 42 Chevrolet broke loose off Turn 2 in the 89th of 200 laps in the Kansas Lottery 300, collecting the No. 60 Ford of Chris Buescher to bring out the seventh yellow flag of the day. Larson, not running for Nationwide Series points, called it quits in the garage with a severely damaged car, then expressed some concern for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), the fourth race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
"I think these tracks have a lot of grip, but then you get in dirty air and lose all downforce and cars drive way differently," Larson said. "It'll be even worse in the Cup race tomorrow, but our Target Chevy's really good over there. ... Just dirty air is worse in the Cup cars, I feel like."
Drivers have fought for as much grip as possible in preliminary on-track activity before Sunday's opener of the Chase's three-race Contender Round, but even the best of the best have lost it. Jimmie Johnson spun without making contact in Friday's Coors Light Pole Qualifying, and Kurt Busch was forced to a backup car after veering into the frontstretch's infield grass in Saturday's final Sprint Cup practice.
Saturday afternoon presented more damage, with Larson and Buescher catching some of the worst. Buescher returned to the race dozens of laps down after his Roush Fenway Racing team replaced much of the car's sheered-off right side.
Larson said nothing broke to force his car into a slide, but that the sudden change in handling caught him by surprise.
"Really weird because I had been really tight all of yesterday and all race long. I hadn't been loose once and that was the only time I'd been loose and it caught me off guard. Wasn't expecting to get loose and I did."
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