Larson flipped, put on a show for the fans and then flipped a second time
This week, Kyle Larson is competing in the Wild West Shootout via a dirt late model owned by Kevin Rumley. That event is taking place in Vado, New Mexico.
Watch the Kyle Larson flip video below.
Midway through the event, Larson got the itch to join the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s an 11-hour drive or a 3-hour flight between the two locations.
Kyle Larson makes a surprise return to Chili Bowl Nationals
Larson was a late entry for the Chili Bowl Nationals. His preliminary race took place on Thursday night, an off-night for the Wild West Shootout.
Yet, both main events will take place on Saturday. Larson had plans to run both but requirements needed to be met to make that happen. In order to do so, he would have likely needed to qualify for a C-Main, B-Main or climb directly into the A-Main in Saturday’s show. Only the top two finishers from Thursday’s preliminary feature are locked into Saturday’s A-Main.
The driver clarified his week before taking to the track, “Excited to get to run with Keith Kunz again. Hoping everything can go good for us on Thursday and can lock in so we’ll have a chance to get back on Saturday night after the Wild West Shootout. That is my main priority this weekend folks so I will not miss any of the races with Kevin Rumley at Vado Speedway.”
Battling through alphabet mains on Thursday after a heat race flip
Larson’s Thursday night showing started on the wrong foot as he stated, “Guess who the idiot is who left his gear bag in Vado NM.”
And, then it got much worse…
In the heat race, Larson went end over end. They flipped him back over and he re-joined the event with some bent parts.
He finished 5th in the heat race as a result. That buried him in a C-Main for his preliminary night. But, he was set to put on a show for the race fans.
Watch the video of the heat race crash below.
Larson drove to the C-Main win, transferring him to the tail of the B-Main. He then drove from the tail of the B-Main to 2nd, qualifying for the tail of Thursday’s main event.
Larson still needed to climb into at least the top four to have a chance at running both races on Saturday. A win or 2nd would make things much easier.
After starting from the tail, Larson was flying through the field. Then, he got stuck behind two cars who were running side by side.
But, with 7 to go while running 11th, Larson got sideways off turn four. He hooked a rut in the process. That sent him flipping for a second time in one night.
He went off on the hook. That has likely ended any chance of Larson returning to the Chili Bowl Nationals this week. He’ll switch full focus on his late model in the Wild West Shootout.
Larson says he won’t run the Chili Bowl; Event promoter responds
Kyle Busch flips violently in Tulsa Shootout (Video)
Kyle Larson
Chili Bowl Nationals
Flip Video
(Heat Race)
Kyle Larson
Chili Bowl Nationals
Crash (Feature)
Every Chili Bowl lap from Kyle Larson
Links
Kyle Larson | Keith Kunz Motorsports | Chili Bowl Nationals | NASCAR
