A Bristol breakthrough? More like a Bristol bummer.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson looked to have the best car in the field at several points during Monday’s weather-delayed race at Bristol Motor Speedway, but he couldn’t hold off a hard-charging Kyle Busch at the end.
Busch executed a bump-and-run on Larson with six laps remaining at Bristol Motor Speedway, then held on as Larson desperately tried to catch him in a frenzied finish at the .533-mile track.
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It was a moment of heartbreak for Larson, who led a race-high 200 laps but had to settle for second.
“I hate that I didn’t win,” Larson said after emerging from his Chevrolet. “I feel like every time I race here I almost get a win. I’ve been beat by Kyle about every time I race here, too, so that gets frustrating after a while.”
That’s the best car we’ve ever had at Bristol. Disappointed I didn’t close it out but happy with the speed we had. Will win a bunch there once I finally get the 🐒 off my back.
– Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) April 16, 2018
Larson was the leader at Lap 204 when the race was halted from its Sunday start and pushed to a Monday finish. Larson was in position to post his first stage win of the season, but Brad Keselowski scooted past him on Lap 244 to lead at the halfway mark.
Busch led 117 laps after starting from the Busch Pole, winning for the second consecutive race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won last week at Texas Motor Speedway.