Larson Eliminated from Playoffs After Chaotic Finish
The outcome of the Bank of America Roval 400, and indeed the entire NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, was eventually determined by a piece of signage seen on the racing surface with just four laps to go.
Of course, the situation was more complicated, but if it wasn’t for the caution, Chase Elliott would have probably won the race and Kyle Larson could have moved to the next round based on points. However, the caution led to two tumultuous restarts where Elliott was spun around and Christopher Bell positioned himself to potentially win with fresher tires.
Heading into the weekend, Bell had no other option to progress except for winning, as Joe Gibbs Racing’s performance on road courses had been disappointing throughout the season. On the other hand, Larson was only at risk of elimination due to hitting the wall on Lap 99, which resulted in a broken right rear toe link. The necessary repairs set him back five laps and he dropped to the 35th position in the running order.
However, if the race had continued under green conditions, Larson would probably have surpassed Daniel Suarez by seven points. Chase Briscoe would have progressed based on points, and Bell would have been left behind. But instead, the race restarted under unexpectedly tumultuous circumstances.
On the final restart, Bell overtook Harvick to take the lead and moved forward in a walk-off manner. The last spot was secured by Chase Briscoe, who had a two-point lead over Larson.
“The contact that damaged my car was simply a foolish error on my part,” Larson admitted. “It’s irksome to have it end this way. However, considering my inconsistent performance this season, it doesn’t astonish me that I made another mistake. Unfortunately, it was a costly one and at a crucial moment.”
Larson took full responsibility for the situation. He promptly expressed his deep apologies over the radio to crew chief Cliff Daniels and spotter Tyler Monn. However, there have also been engine breakdowns and performance issues throughout the summer.
“Larson stated, “There hasn’t been any consistent rhythm for me and our team. However, we’ve strived relentlessly throughout the year to improve, and we will persist in our efforts to enhance our performance for the remaining season. We also aim to be better prepared for the upcoming year.”
Days such as today allow you to extract positives and concentrate intensely on areas requiring improvement, both personally and professionally, as a driver and as part of a team. It gives the opportunity to return even stronger.
Daniels stated that his driver was overly critical of himself and that numerous factors contributed to their elimination.
“Daniels conveyed to Racing America after the race, “He’s responsible for his errors and we’re responsible for ours. It’s impossible for Kyle to bear the burden of this season alone. Our team as a whole, including myself as the team leader and our pit crew, have all made our portion of mistakes that we simply cannot afford.”
This year, we’ve experienced three engine failures which have contributed to a multitude of issues. These are the kind of setbacks that can seriously impede a successful season. Despite this, I have absolute faith in our team and our engine shop to improve. However, we must acknowledge that we’ve made numerous mistakes throughout this journey.
I firmly support Kyle and don’t blame him in any regard. He is undoubtedly one of the best drivers globally and especially in NASCAR. There are only a handful like him, and I’ll back him up without hesitation all day long.
NASCAR TO REVIEW CUSTER'S FINAL LAP
During the second-last restart, Chase Briscoe was spun out, causing him to fall from a five-point lead over Suarez to a nine-point deficit to Austin Cindric. However, a caution allowed his No. 14 team to change tires, enabling them to climb back up the running order.
Bell secured a playoff spot through the victory, and Briscoe gained enough positions to clinch the final transfer spot by a margin of two points.
Nevertheless, NASCAR will examine all data points from the final lap to ascertain whether Cole Custer deliberately obstructed the field to enable Briscoe to make the necessary passes to progress. The data will cover video, radio communications, and SMT data.
It should be noted that Briscoe and Larson were level on points as they took the white flag. However, Briscoe held the tiebreaker advantage before the controversial chicane, where he overtook Custer and Austin Dillon, gaining the crucial two points he needed to advance. Therefore, this point might be irrelevant.
Regardless, NASCAR announced on Sunday night that they would review the lap, but any penalties would not alter the outcome of the Round of 8.
Following the incident on the final lap on the backstretch involving the 41 car, NASCAR is conducting a review of data, video, and radio transmissions. The results of this review will be communicated by NASCAR in the early part of this week. It is important to note that any potential penalties coming from this incident will not impact the Round of 8 field.
Daniels mentioned that he was informed about the potential obstruction by Custer, and expressed his hopes that NASCAR would thoroughly investigate the matter.
“Daniels expressed his hope that NASCAR would reassess the situation, citing the 2013 incident that had negatively impacted the sport. He shared his concerns about a possible repeat of such an event. Although he said he hadn’t witnessed the replay and was unsure of the details, Daniels expressed his hope that, if there was a similar issue, NASCAR would be transparent and thoroughly investigate it.”
Custer claims that he had a flat tire.
“Custer stated, “My attempt to overtake Tyler Reddick resulted in him pushing me down to the apron in the oval Turn 1 and 2. Upon returning to the track, I noticed a vibration. Shortly after, my team began urgently informing me that we had a flat tire.”
“So, my intention was to carefully position it in the corner to gauge my situation, but I was unexpectedly hit by Austin Dillon not once, but twice. From my viewpoint, that’s what happened. I initially suspected a flat tire or some sort of vibration, but it turned out that I was just hit.”
Simultaneously, Briscoe, with his new tires, managed to navigate much deeper into the chicane than anyone else and successfully maintained his position.
“Briscoe stated, “I spent the entire day contemplating if I could reach the ‘6’ marker, as that was my limit. However, I managed to go beyond the ‘5’ marker, even locking up my tires in the process. I feared I might hit the curb and be forced to stop and go. Miraculously, everything held up. Owing to the overtime, Johnny (Klausmeier, my crew chief) applied qualifying pressures and it worked. I pushed myself harder than I had all day because I knew each point mattered. I’m still amazed it all held up.”
DEBRIS CAUTION CHANGES EVERYTHING
Regardless of NASCAR’s decision on Custer’s potential involvement in playoff eliminations, it was the signage that triggered the caution on Lap 105 that fundamentally altered the race.
In fact, at that time, Briscoe was present and asked Klausmeier over their team’s radio frequency about the reason for the caution.
"What was the caution for?"
"There was a piece of debris on the track in Turn 6."
"What?! It was there 20 laps ago."
"We know."
Keep in mind that Briscoe was briefly eliminated from the playoffs by Dillon during the subsequent restart. However, he managed to surpass Larson in the rankings during the second restart after acquiring fresher tires.
Briscoe explained, “I was directly behind Larson when the wind off his car caused it to come off. I had seen it happen about 20 laps before the caution. I was hoping they wouldn’t bring out a caution because I knew we were in a really good position.”
So, we returned for the next lap and noticed it had fallen to the corner, out of our way. I assumed we were safe, but surprisingly, the caution was brought out. They informed me it was because the TV had just covered it. I felt quite disappointed knowing that the guys behind me would have fresh tires, and boy, the last five laps were truly a roller coaster.
Ultimately, the two warnings from the sign enabled Bell to navigate through the field and secure a playoff spot based on points. Although Larson and Daniels could blame a dubious caution for their elimination, their crew chief doesn’t see it that way.
“I’m yet to see it, so I lack sufficient information to form a judgement,” stated Daniels. “What I do know is that the difference in today’s points is not due to today’s events. Two points. It’s easy to identify two points from ten times over. I don’t know.”
Throughout the race, Cindric felt as though his driving was subpar, describing it as ‘driving like a bonehead.’ He also saw the final two restarts as an opportunity for advancement. In an attempt to give himself a chance, he decided to keep using old tires. Although it was a necessary move, it resulted in him being spun on the backstretch chicane during the final restart.
“Cindric described the situation as ‘extremely crazy.’ He advised against restarting with tires 30 laps older than everyone else’s as they provide less grip. He admitted it was a wild situation, especially being only a few spots ahead of the elimination cutline. He confessed to fighting for everything and possibly compromising his usual driving standards out of desperation.
“We had to resort to extreme measures due to the difficult situation we found ourselves in. We were in a solid place before the first green-white-checkered. We had a comfortable lead and sufficient space behind. However, when the caution was raised, it felt like our fate was sealed. Even then, I was only a point away and made an attempt to secure the spot. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get clear, and the back chicane was chaotic. In retrospect, there are areas we could have improved on today, but I believe we could still make further progress with the car. Regardless of the outcome, it was great to be involved and have a chance. We are still heading to the final race; it’s just disappointing we didn’t finish.”
In summary, Briscoe secured the final spot, and he was almost in disbelief considering all that had happened in this round.
Don’t forget, he tied with Cindric for the final transfer at Talladega last weekend. However, he lost that position when William Byron won his appeal and regained 25 points. These points were initially deducted due to his retaliatory action against Denny Hamlin at the Texas Motor Speedway.
“Truthfully, I feel more joy now than I ever did when I previously won a race,” said Briscoe. “I am aware of this team’s potential, particularly in the upcoming round. Homestead is, I believe, my strongest racetrack. I’ve had significant success in Vegas, and we were extremely quick in Martinsville.”
“If we can make it to Phoenix, we’re aware that we also have a reliable car there. The prospect of having a one in eight opportunity to secure a NASCAR championship is an incredible sensation. This is why it feels even more significant than a victory.”
