Well, we knew that the fireworks would be displayed in the closing stages of Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and this time the conflict was courtesy of Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece.
As a result of the incident, Kyle Larson was forced to bring his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to the garage area with 73 laps remaining in the event, resulting in a finish of 35th.
The beef between the two drivers, however, began earlier in the race, when the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion shoved Preece into the outside wall with significant force, which angered the driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang
Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece have had ? ????? in Bristol. https://t.co/FvM32VtQcJ pic.twitter.com/UD0gg2pAwm
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 10, 2023
Now, after both Preece and Larson were relegated from the tail end of the field due to on-track incidents, the drivers – who both seemed to have incredibly fast cars – met outside the top-20, which invoked some tensions.
In an incident that looks eerily similar to earlier in the event, Preece crowded the Hendrick Motorsports driver into the outside wall, which started the conflict heading to the first corner.
Then, in what Larson explains as a broken racecar, the No. 5 darted to the inside lane suddenly, making significant contact with the side of the No. 41, which ultimately spun Larson around and into the outside wall.
In the aftermath of the incident, Jonathan Davenport – making his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Kaulig Racing – clipped the right rear of Larson’s entry, causing damage to both entries.
