After a blown tire ruined his debut at Texas Motor Speedway back in April, NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) rookie Kyle Larson came to the track looking for redemption in the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Challenge. After two practice sessions that left the No. 32 NTT DATA team happy with the long-run speed of their Chevrolet Camaro, Larson qualified 16th for Saturday afternoon’s 200-lap race. In a race that saw just four cautions, Larson ran inside the top 10 for the majority of the event, running as high as fourth before finishing ninth.
Friday was a busy day for Larson, as he had two NNS practice sessions in addition to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) practice and qualifying. After laying down the ninth-fastest lap in first practice, Larson and the No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports team were happy with the balance of their NTT DATA Chevy. They finished final practice early, confident that their car would be strong for the expected long green-flag runs in the race.
After taking the green flag from the 16th position, Larson was all quiet on the radio as he began to work his way to the front. After taking over the 12th position on lap 15, crew chief Trent Owen radioed Larson to let him know that he was running really good lap times. Larson moved into the top 10 on lap 38 and reported that his NTT DATA Chevy was good overall, but slightly tight after the center of the corner. On lap 50, Owens brought Larson to pit road for a green-flag pit stop, and the No. 32 NTT DATA crew changed four tires, added fuel and made an air-pressure adjustment.
When green-flag stops cycled through, Larson remained in the 10th position. The 21-year-old was still running 10th, one of just 11 cars on the lead lap, when the first caution was displayed for debris on lap 70. Larson told his team that his Camaro was still a little tight, but that it felt good. Owens again called Larson to pit road, and the No. 32 NTT DATA Chevrolet received four tires, fuel and slight adjustments before returning to the track in 11th. Larson had a stellar restart, gaining five positions and moving into sixth on lap 76. He entered the top five for the first time on the next lap before taking over the fourth position on lap 82.
Larson was still scored in fourth when the yellow flag was displayed again on lap 110. The Elk Grove, Calif. native explained that his No. 32 NTT DATA Chevy responded very differently depending on which line he ran, and that it was slightly tight into the corner when he ran in the middle lane. He returned to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment and restarted in fourth on lap 117. Over the next 40 laps, Larson slipped back to eighth before reporting to Owens that his car was too loose on this run. On lap 165, Larson made his final pit stop under green-flag conditions. When stops cycled through, Larson was scored in ninth but he gained a position before the caution flag waved on lap 171. He moved to seventh on the restart before the final caution came out one lap later, at lap 178.
Restarting in seventh on lap 183, Larson initially slipped back to 11th but returned to the top 10 a few laps later. He took over the ninth position on lap 189, where he remained until the checkered flag waved. This ninth-place finish marked the 16th top 10 Larson has earned in his NNS rookie season.
“We started off the weekend really strong,” said Larson. “Our NTT DATA Chevy was really good in practice and we felt like it would be good for long green-flag runs, which is something that you expect at Texas. There was just one run during the race where I got loose and that cost us some positions, but overall we had a good car today. I’m glad we got a top-10 finish for NTT DATA and that we were able to come back to Texas Motor Speedway and run well. I have to thank my Turner Scott Motorsports team for all the hard work this weekend. We’re excited to get to Phoenix and Homestead to finish the season out; hopefully we can get to victory lane in one of the final two races.”
Larson will compete in the NSCS race at Texas Motor Speedway today, driving the No. 51 Visit Dallas Chevy SS for Phoenix Racing, owned by Turner Scott Motorsports co-owner Harry Scott Jr. He will return to NNS action next weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
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