Kyle Larson’s return to the Brickyard went perfectly, but was the race handed to him?
NASCAR’s long-awaited return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval brought exciting strategy and a heater of a battle at the end. With fuel saving at an all-time high, Brad Keselowski led the race with a few laps to go. Staying on track as long as he possibly could, the No. 6 Body Guard Ford Mustang Dark Horse did everything it could to block the advances of Ryan Blaney right behind.
So, if Keselowski were to run out of fuel, the win would be in the clutches of the No. 12, right? The Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang was also very tight on fuel, but you know who wasn’t? Kyle Larson.
After the last pit stop, the Elk Grove, California native restarted outside the top-20. Impressively, as the laps counted down, he raced his way inside the top three, contending not only for a podium finish but a victory. And with two to go, the two Fords and the lone standing Chevrolet were nose to tail.
Fans were in for yet another great finish, one that could’ve rivaled Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this Spring. Unfortunately, that great conclusion to the race was not meant to be. NASCAR officials waved the caution flag for an incident between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin that sent the field into overtime.
Overtime Controversy
In the first overtime attempt, Brad Keselowski, the leader of the race, dipped to pit road before reaching the start/finish line, causing frustrations for Ryan Blaney. Had the 30-year-old gambled and decided to restart behind the No. 6, he could have had the preferred line. The risk was, that if Keselowski ran out of gas, it would have held Blaney back in a major way.
That gamble was not worth taking for Blaney at the time. However, Larson was all up to take the risk, which ultimately gave him the lead heading into the second overtime.
Ryan Blaney pissed off @ Indianapolis, 2024. pic.twitter.com/NdsYpmReuG
— Andrew (@Basso488) July 22, 2024
When the green flag dropped the second time, chaos erupted again. Further back in the field, Ryan Preece ran out of fuel. When his car dramatically slowed, Chase Elliott made contact with the No. 41, causing the HaasTooling.com-sponsored machine to slam into the SAFER Barrier.
With the car stopped on the backstretch, fans awaited an immediate yellow. But, the caution wasn’t thrown until the field approached the silver car of Ryan Preece on the race’s final lap, thus ending the race.
To clear the air.
Normal operating Fuel Pressure is 66psi.
When I slowed, the engine went to 12 psi.
The engine would not go at WOT. (Wide open throttle)
I ran out of fuel. https://t.co/TAUUy0fY8R
— Ryan Preece (@RyanPreece_) July 22, 2024
Was that the right call? Also, what is up with the Joe Gibbs Racing engines? Join Taylor Kitchen in the latest episode of Above The Yellow Line to discuss it all!
