Larson Settles for 12th-Place Finish in the Lone Star State

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In: Xfinity Series News

After a two-week break from the racetrack with the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), Kyle Larson returned with a vengeance to Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 42 Philips Norelco Chevrolet Camaro. After running solid lap times throughout the weekend’s two practice sessions, the Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) team unfortunately did not have the opportunity to see how fast they would fare in knockout qualifying. Unable to make it through NASCAR’s pre-qualifying technical inspection in time to qualify, the team found themselves starting in the back of the pack for the 200-lap shootout. Having received his career-best track finish after starting in the back earlier in the season, Larson and his TSM team remained strong, knowing they had a solid car to take on the mile-and-a-half, Texas-sized track. Within the first 35 laps, the young driver had worked his way from the 38th position to fifth and was laying down the fastest lap times on the track. Dealing with a tight-handling machine throughout the majority of the race, crew chief Scott Zipadelli brought Larson down pit road three times to free up his Philips Norelco Chevy, but with track temperatures changing drastically throughout the afternoon, Larson’s machine continued to get tighter. On lap 129, Zipadelli called Larson back to pit road under yellow-flag conditions and reset the No. 42 car back to the original race setup. Within 30 laps, Larson was running lap times as fast as the leader and had once again found a spot within the top five when green-flag pit stops began to take place. Coming to pit road one final time with 19 laps to go, Zipadelli gave Larson four new tires and fuel, along with a track-bar and wedge adjustment for the final dash to the finish line. Rejoining the field in the 13th position, Larson gained a couple of track positions before making slight contact with the wall when the white flag was displayed. Despite a solid effort to fight his way back, Larson crossed the finish line in 12th position when the checkered flag waved.

Kyle Larson on his run at Texas Motor Speedway:

“I’m glad that one’s over. We had a good Philips Norelco Chevy during practice and I really wasn’t too worried about starting in the back because I knew we had a fast racecar that could make it to the front. Our car was really good when we started out, but I kept getting tighter and tighter throughout the race. I can’t thank Philips Norelco enough for their support this weekend; I hope they enjoyed the race. We’ve got two more shots to get another win this year. On to Phoenix and Homestead.”

TSM PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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