For the primary time since 2011, Hendrick Motorsports managed to put all 4 of their vehicles within the prime ten at Talladega Superspeedway. They gained that race with Jimmie Johnson, however sadly for HMS, the very best end result they might handle this weekend was solely third.
Within the closing laps, the Hendrick duo of William Byron of Alex Bowman led the skin lane whereas Kyle Larson was the second automobile on the within behind eventual race winner Austin Cindric. There have been moments the place Larson cleared his teammates, however he by no means selected to maneuver up in entrance of them. Ryan Preece, who was proper behind Larson, did simply that and almost gained the race consequently.
Larson’s determination to remain low
“I do not assume there was something I may have completed on the ultimate lap,” defined Larson as he mirrored on the end. “The one form of second I needed to get to the entrance row is once we acquired pushed out in entrance of William. I wished to take it. I felt just like the hole was too large. The 60 [Preece] barely acquired clear, acquired up there and acquired rolling. “I used to be second inside, simply going to do every part I may to advance our lane, open it as much as the place I may get to the skin. We have been all simply pushing so equally that it saved the lanes form of jammed up. I wanted one thing else to form of occur, possibly them blocking one another or one thing.”
Larson nonetheless leaves Talladega along with his greatest end result but on the monitor, ending third and main the HMS quartet. He additionally gained the opening stage of the race.
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Pictures
However what occurred to Byron and Bowman within the prime lane? Byron remained dedicated to pushing Preece, particularly after he turned disconnected from his teammate Bowman on the ultimate lap, who acquired shuffled out of line quickly after. Each Byron and Larson may solely shove the 2 Ford drivers immediately forward of them, by no means making a transfer themselves. Byron ended up ending fourth whereas Bowman light to ninth, and Chase Elliott quietly completed seventh.
“Not an awesome day,” stated Bowman, who misplaced out on a top-five on the very finish. “I felt like a lot of the strikes I made all through the day have been a internet loss. Simply a type of days the place none of it labored out. There on the finish, the 24 [Byron] form of zigged left down the backstretch as I acquired to him and that broke us aside and let the 60 [Preece] rise up and take management of the race from there. Hate that for everyone from HMS. I assumed we have been sitting in a great spot and sadly, it simply did not work out.”
The excellent news for HMS is that they continue to be firmly answerable for the common season standings with Byron main the way in which, 32 factors away from Larson.
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