Folks, Kyle Larson was on a roll in Homestead Miami. He was attempting the sweep, basically trying to win in all three divisions on a weekend. Sounds like an impossible feat, but Larson, being Larson, almost pulled it off. First, he won the Truck Series race, and that, too, after he spun in the final stage. Using his wall-riding prowess, he was quick to climb the positions. And then, thanks to Corey Heim’s Truck shutting down at the perfect time, he took the checkered flag. The #5 driver also won the Cup Series race pretty smoothly. But in the Xfinity Series, Sam Mayer denied him a win.
Kyle Larson had everything going perfectly. After a disappointing qualification that got him a P17 start, Larson knew he had his work cut out for him. But the Hendrick Motorsports driver was quick to gain positions. He climbed to P4 in stage one and even won stage two. But still, after leading the most laps in the race (132) and having a 15-second lead on the field, Larson came short of the win. And it’s all Sam Mayer’s fault!
Sam Mayer issues an explanation for wrecking Kyle Larson
So, here’s how things went down. With 8 laps to go, Taylor Gray in the #54 car slid up the track, bringing out a caution. And then came the final restart of the race. Picture this: Larson is starting up top, and Mayer is right behind him. As soon as the race green-flagged, Mayer got in the back of Larson. This made the HMS driver loose and disrupted the inside lane, while Justin Allgaier zoomed past on the outside lane to steal a victory. Eventually, Larson had to settle for a P4, and Sam Mayer ended in 2nd place behind Allgaier.
And before we head to the Martinsville race, things are still unclear on how Mayer bumped Larson on that restart. The Haas Factory Driver recently spoke on if he had a chat with Kyle Larson about it. To which he told Frontstretch, “We kind of both know what each other was thinking. We never got the chance to sit down and talk or anything like that. I mean, it’s just part of racing. I disagree with how it went down. Unfortunate for both of us. It’s just part of racing.”
“We want to hang banners in the shop, and we’re getting ever so close to doing that.”@sam_mayer_ spoke about what happened with @KyleLarsonRacin at Homestead, @KurtBusch‘s Darlington throwback, working with Haas, and the meaning of Martinsville to him.
: @stephen_stumpf pic.twitter.com/nRB1JxmWdS
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) March 28, 2025
But Kyle Larson was mad after the race. “Lagged back and just slammed the [expletive] out of me and had my rear tires off the ground.” Larson hoped that the race would have remained green. He would have had a walk in the park win. “Disappointed, probably like I have been here probably seven, eight times or more. I wish it would have stayed green. For some reason, nobody can keep it straight at the end of the races that I’m leading,” He added.
And it’s not like Sam Mayer was a lapper or anything and got in the way of Larson. He was also one of the fastest cars and could have won the race had Larson not been there. Speaking on which, Mayer said, “Say the #17’s [Larson] not there, and it’s just full-time Xfinity guys. We had the field absolutely waxed. There’s a really good feelings behind that, knowing that we brought a car that was really really good. And we can run it back next year cause it’ll probably mean a lot more next year doing that. We are gonna try to keep bringing that speed this year.”
However, it ruined Larson’s chance of getting a rare triple. But Larson isn’t one to dread; he’s already put that behind and is re-attempting it!
Kyle Larson is attempting his second triple!
We all knew Larson had a pretty good shot at getting a triple at a cookie cutter. Given his ability to ride just inches from the wall. But still, if there is one place he’s got the best shot, it’s got to be a short track. And what’s better than Bristol Motor Speedway? A track which he did not just dominate but destroyed in the last fall race. He led 462 laps out of the 500 and took the checkered flag in the Cup Series. Bristol is still two races away, but Larson has already made the announcement.
Larson said, “The opportunity is a lot less these days for us to run triple duty on a weekend, so yeah, when you get that chance, you definitely want to try to execute the best possible way. And unfortunately, we just came up a little bit short there in the Xfinity race. But, all in all, had a great weekend and have another opportunity here at Bristol coming up in a couple of weeks.”
This could be a great challenge for Larson. He’s never won the Bristol race in the Truck series. And even in the Xfinity Series, despite always running top 5 there all the time, he’s just won the race once. And one out of 9 must be disappointing for someone who has such caliber. Especially when he has an average finish of 5.7 there. And we all know his Cup Series runs in the next-gen; he’s got a 3.3 average finish. While getting a triple is tricky at Bristol, Larson could still pull it off.
The last time anyone did the triple, and the only time, was Kyle Busch, who did it twice! Both of them came to Bristol too, in 2010 and 2017. So, if Larson needs any more motivation, he should go talk to Kyle Busch. However, Bristol is a different challenge to Homestead, and Larson knows that. “So, it’ll be tough, though. I think much tougher at Bristol than Homestead…But I know I got good cars and a good truck, and we’ll definitely try.”
What do you think, folks? Can he get a triple at Bristol during the Food City 500 weekend? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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