Well, that is less than ideal. Kyle Larson, who won last year’s 400-mile NASCAR Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway, will not win the 2023 edition of the race. On Lap 12 of Sunday’s Pala Casino 400, Larson’s car suffered electrical issues, which sent him behind the wall.
Here is video of the No. 5 team diagnosing the issues with their car on pit road:
"I think I've blown up."- Kyle Larson https://t.co/igw5AUvwT8 pic.twitter.com/D6sFmvh6QR
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 26, 2023
The team was able to make repairs to the car behind the wall, and Larson did eventually return to the race, albeit 15 laps off the pace.
Larson is a two-time winner at the 2-mile speedway in Fontana, California, which will be converted to a half-mile short track after this weekend’s race.
The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is having a rough start to the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, despite having a very fast car at both Daytona International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway.
Larson suffered a hard hit in a last lap crash during the season-opening Daytona 500, and finished 18th as a result of that crash.