Newgarden’s title hopes “surrendered to fate”

Tenth in the championship. Eight races to go. Six are ovals. An imposing deficit of 143 points to Alex Palou atop the drivers’ standings. Josef Newgarden’s title hopes are remote at best, but the NTT IndyCar Series’ master of ovals is in his element …

Tenth in the championship. Eight races to go. Six are ovals. An imposing deficit of 143 points to Alex Palou atop the drivers’ standings.

Josef Newgarden’s title hopes are remote at best, but the NTT IndyCar Series’ master of ovals is in his element this weekend with the Hy-Vee doubleheader, where he’s expected to use the pair of races to draw closer to Palou. So where does the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner place his approach to Iowa and the rest of the events on the calendar in his quest to win this third title? Is it an all-out attack?

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“We’re surrendered to fate in a lot of ways,” the Team Penske driver told RACER. “It’s been a really hard year. Indy was amazing; everything about it was incredible for the team. And then when you look at the championship, it’s been the opposite. It’s been worse than feast or famine. This one’s been a super roller coaster. Super highs and lows. So, we are where we are. The last two events in particular were really tough. Laguna ended up being a bust, and then Mid-Ohio turned into a bust. So that’s a lot of why we’re 143 back. That’s really bad. So I’m not going to say we can’t win the championship. Anything’s possible, and I always believe that.”

Having won almost every oval IndyCar race in recent years, Newgarden should be able to make inroads on Palou, or whoever’s leading the championship after Iowa. But the 2017 and 2019 series champion also knows he’ll need more than the ovals to catch up to his rivals at the front of the battle for the drivers’ crown. With the street race at Toronto up next on the schedule and a late August trip to Oregon for the road course at Portland, Newgarden must deliver at all eight races to thrust the No. 2 Chevy into championship contention.

“What I don’t want to rely on is Iowa,” he said. “I think most people, they look at us and they go, ‘Well, this is going to help you.’ But I’m more worried about Portland and Toronto. We can be great here. We can be great on the other ovals. That’s good, but it’s not going to be enough. We’ve got to have a great Toronto. We’ve got to have a great Portland. We were good at St Pete, great at Long Beach. I think Toronto can be good. And I know we can build the Portland car great.”

Newgarden’s comeback attempt starts Saturday night at 8pm ET across 250 laps, and continues Sunday with another 250 laps at 12:30pm ET, with both airing on NBC.

Firestone brings new tire compound to Iowa

NTT IndyCar Series teams have been informed of a change to the right-side Firestone tires they will use for this weekend’s Hy-Vee doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. The move comes in reaction to a heat management issue that arose at the recent test at …

NTT IndyCar Series teams have been informed of a change to the right-side Firestone tires they will use for this weekend’s Hy-Vee doubleheader at Iowa Speedway.

The move comes in reaction to a heat management issue that arose at the recent test at the 0.875-mile oval where extremely high temperatures were recorded in right-side tire carcasses, and in the case of Team Penske’s Will Power, a heat-related failure of the right-front tire occurred on the incredibly fast bullring.

RACER understands the combination of Iowa’s newly-paved, high-grip corners, higher weight — up 105 lbs — with the new energy recovery systems installed, and harder tires created by Firestone to manage the spike in forces created by the grip and weight, led to those right-side tires generating and retaining more heat than was sustainable.

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According to the teams, the updated right-side tires are of a new compound and construction and, crucially, are softer and will wear at a faster rate, which should help the tires to release more heat and run at cooler temperatures. Teams will also receive updated tire pressure and camber recommendations from IndyCar’s official tire partner to use with the new rubber.

With the timing of the change after the test, the 10 IndyCar teams in attendance and their 27 drivers will need to prioritize their Friday practice running to learn about the performance capabilities and durability profile of the revised tire package. IndyCar also removed 10 percent of the maximum downforce achievable for the event, cutting approximately 450 lbs of aero loading off of all cars.

In addition, the series has added a session to the Iowa calendar on Friday afternoon with an open invitation for its teams to help apply rubber to the second lane in Turns 1-2 and 3-4 at slightly reduced speeds.

A new set of tires, using left-side rubber from Indianapolis and right sides from the Iowa test, will be made available for those who participate in the 30-minute session scheduled from 2:45-3:15pm CT prior to the 3:30-5pm official practice window.

Racing on TV, July 11-14

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted. Thursday, July 11 Perth Race 2 7:00-8:00pm (D) GT4 10:00-11:00pm (D) Friday, July 12 Pocono qualifying 2:00-3:30pm Iowa practice 3:30-6:00pm Pocono 5:30-7:30pm Saturday, July 13 CTMP Race 1 8:45- …

All times Eastern; live broadcasts unless noted.

Thursday, July 11

	Perth Race 2	7:00-8:00pm (D)
	GT4	10:00-11:00pm (D)

Friday, July 12

	Pocono qualifying	2:00-3:30pm
	Iowa practice	3:30-6:00pm
	Pocono	5:30-7:30pm

Saturday, July 13

	CTMP Race 1	8:45- 9:35am
	Pocono qualifying	10:00- 11:30am
	Pocono qualifying	12:00-2:00pm
	CTMP	1:20- 3:25pm
	Spring Creek	1:30-2:30pm
	Iowa	2:05-3:20pm
	Pocono	2:30-3:00pm pre-race 3:00-5:30pm race
	Iowa qualifying	3:45-4:45pm
	CTMP qualifying	3:55-4:40pm
	Laguna Seca Race 1	6:00-7:00pm
	Iowa Race 1	8:00-10:00pm
	Scotland Race 1	11:00pm- 1:00am (SDD)

Sunday, July 14

	São Paulo	10:00-11:00am – start
	CTMP	11:00am- 2:00pm
	Iowa Race 2	12:00-12:30pm pre-race 12:30-2:30pm race
	Pocono	2:00-2:30pm pre-race 2:30-6:30pm race
	São Paulo	3:30-5:00pm – finish
	CTMP Race 2	3:30-4:20pm
	Laguna Seca Race 2	6:00-7:00pm
	Scotland Race 2	11:00pm- 2:00am (SDD)

Key: SDD: Same day delay; D = delayed; R = Replay

MotoGP is now airing live on TruTV and Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. Check your streaming provider for air times

A variety of motor racing is available for streaming on demand at the following sites:

MAVTV.com

MotorTrendOnDemand.com

IndyCar cuts downforce for Iowa

The combination of higher cornering speeds due to the recent repaving of Iowa Speedway and the recent addition of 105 lbs of weight with the NTT IndyCar Series’ new energy recovery systems has led the series to dial back downforce for this weekend’s …

“We’re limiting the rear wing level to hole three of six with a wicker,” Tino Belli, IndyCar’s director of aerodynamic development, told RACER. “Which is 10 percent less downforce, about 450 lbs less. We typically adjust downforce in 10-percent increments. The (3/8th-inch tall) wicker has always been optional, so it’s still optional if they want to go lower on downforce.”

The series tested a number of downforce options during last week’s test at Iowa, and also actively monitored the electronic load sensors contained in the suspension pushrods on the Dallara DW12s to gauge forces at play in the fastest corners. Based on the data, taking 450 lbs of loading off the cars was chosen as the right call to make.

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“At the test, we did warn the teams that we might come back with this wing setting, so we suggested that they try it and make sure they know what to do with this wing setting,” Belli added. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t overload things on the car, so we’re just trying to keep the loads down to a nice, safe level.”

Although drivers will have an exceptional amount of downforce at the disposal, thanks to IndyCar’s use of its road course front wings and most of its road course rear wing package, the 10-percent cut in maximum downforce could lead to more lifting in the corners, which would extend tire life.

Iowa also marks the first hybrid oval race for IndyCar. Heading into the Iowa event, the series published a per-lap limit of 105 kilojoules of hybrid energy expenditure, which teams also used in testing. Based on their reports, the 105kJ limit resulted in approximately three seconds of the 60 added horsepower during laps that fell in the 17-second range.

Herta leads the way in Iowa Speedway hybrid test

Colton Herta was the fastest driver during Thursday’s overcast and contact-laden hybrid NTT IndyCar Series test at Iowa Speedway. The Andretti Global driver’s No. 26 Honda turned an unofficial best of 16.954s around the 0.875-mile oval, which recently underwent a repaving in the corners. It compares favorably to the pole time of 17.725s set last year by Team Penske’s Will Power on the old surface and in a non-hybrid car that weighed approximately 100 pounds less.

Second on the overcast day that had an afternoon interruption by rain was Penske’s Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Chevy (16.971s), followed by Andretti’s Marcus Ericsson in third with the No. 28 Honda (17.008s), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal in fourth with the No. 15 Honda (17.022s), Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in fifth with the No. 5 Chevy (17.055s), and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon completed the top six in the No. 9 Honda (17.103s).

Defending race winner Josef Newgarden made light contact in the afternoon in his Penske entry, and RLL’s Pietro Fittipaldi also got into the wall with a harder hit. Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Romain Grosjean met the wall as well, and the rough day for Penske continued when Power crashed.

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Feedback from some drivers pointed to the emergence of a single lane to use at the bottom of the track, but there was optimism that the upcoming Hy-Vee doubleheader weekend will offer more great racing.

“I think it’ll be very different this year; the racetrack is basically brand new and with the repave in the corners, it’s going to drive totally different than what it did,” Newgarden said. “I love this track. I always have and I like the area. Newton (Iowa) comes alive during race weekend more so now, because of the involvement with Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee has been such a great partner for us and they’ve made this a destination event.”

RLL’s Rahal shared in Newgarden’s enthusiasm.

“I think (the partial repave) has leveled the playing field,” he said. “It’s a big day; it’s a good day to have a test. Obviously for us as a team, Hy-Vee is our biggest partner and we really want to do well for Hy-Vee here. The commitment Hy-Vee made to our sport is unlike anything else. And so, we want to win for them.”

IndyCar continues hybrid acclimation with Iowa test

Today’s NTT IndyCar Series test at Iowa Speedway will give the series a chance to learn more about its new hybrid powertrains, the newly paved 0.875-mile oval’s grip, and how both interact ahead of the series’ July 13-14 doubleheader at the track. …

IndyCar structured the test to make use of two cars in the morning to run through a range of fact-finding outings spearheaded by Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy and Colton Herta in the No. 26 Andretti Global Honda. With one hour reserved for the series, the former Indy NXT teammates were set to try three different downforce settings and report back to the series on the positives and negatives of each configuration.

With 27 cars scheduled to test, the series will also gather widespread info on how the use of its new energy recovery system (ERS) on its quickest circuit — in terms of lap times, which have been in the high 17-second range in qualifying — are utilized by its teams. Due to the constant turning and passing, drivers will be far busier than at any other track, which could limit their ability to manage traffic, the car’s handling, and active energy harvesting and deployment.

ERS usage habits will be captured by the series, which has given drivers a maximum per-lap energy deployment of 105 kilojoules of power per lap on top of the 700-plus hp generated by the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 internal combustion engines made by Chevy and Honda, and 30 newton meters of torque contributed by the motor generator unit.

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IndyCar has also informed its teams of the need to weigh each car on the series’ technical inspection scales, minus fuel, driver, driver equivalency ballast, and drink bottle, to establish a minimum weight for the 27 hybrid Dallara DW12s and derive an average that will be used as the new hybrid-spec minimum starting at the July 5-7 Mid-Ohio race where IndyCar’s new hybrid era will launch.

Teams have been told to anticipate a final hybrid minimum weight that is between 100-105 pounds above the non-hybrid road/street course specification minimum of 1,680 lbs used through last weekend’s race at Laguna Seca. The new minimum weight will also change the pre-hybrid speedway minimum of 1,635 lbs and the short oval minimum of 1,670 lbs.

NASCAR’s long-awaited Cup race in Iowa hit the spot

They came from near and far. A hearty bunch, casual fans and diehards alike. Some who had been to a NASCAR race before and others experiencing their first. But they all were roaring with energy for a weekend of racing at a beloved racetrack that was …

They came from near and far. A hearty bunch, casual fans and diehards alike. Some who had been to a NASCAR race before and others experiencing their first.

But they all were roaring with energy for a weekend of racing at a beloved racetrack that was finally getting NASCAR racing back, and doing so with a long-awaited Cup series race.

There were friends, like Rusty Topal and Donte Blanchard, attending their first race. It had never worked out before to attend one, but when Topal’s brother passed off the tickets he got, it was an easy decision. Topal came from South Dakota. Blanchard from the Quad Cities.

They both agreed having NASCAR back in the area was a big deal, pointing out all the license plates from the neighboring states. And before the weekend was even over, Topal said his wife already planned for it to be an annual event for them.

Jon Iaccino traveled from three and a half hours away, Rockford, Illinois, for Sunday night’s race. He, too, wanted to see the inaugural Cup series event and admitted he wouldn’t have made the trip if it was a standalone Xfinity Series weekend.

Rochelle Boykin came from California. A new event on the NASCAR schedule was something she wanted to be in attendance for, and she had enjoyed previous trips to Iowa Speedway for an NTT IndyCar series races.

Ryan Blaney’s dominant win was a popular one. Lesley Ann Miller/Motorsport Images

And then there was Nicole Chapman, who came from Portland. A big Ryan Blaney fan, she attended the reigning champion’s charity event earlier in the weekend and was just as excited as others for a new Cup race.

Blaney ended up dominating and winning the race, ad doing so not only made Chapman’s night but that of the 80 family and friends Blaney had in attendance.

“They’re all camping,” Blaney said at the start of the weekend. “We bought a lot of tickets that’s for sure. It’s nice to have a track to where part of your family is from and they come out and support. They did the same thing 10 years ago when we raced Xfinity here and it’s nice that they all came back out and are hanging out all weekend.”

Chris Buescher felt the same type of enthusiasm when arriving at the racetrack. Cup teams are given a block of time at the start of each weekend to walk the racetrack, giving them a chance to have an up-close look at the details of the facility and racing surface.

“We’ve been here three hours at this point and we’ve got fans yelling over the fence at everybody walking by saying, ‘Thanks for coming. We’re glad you’re here. We’ve been waiting for this,’” Buescher said. “It’s Friday and very early in the weekend and we’ve already got people yelling out and showing support, so that’s really cool for this entire place.”

It was a recurring theme throughout the weekend; the locals were happy to have NASCAR there as has been said for years if a Cup race were to be put on the schedule. During the pre-race innvocation, the prayer included how the fans’ patience had been rewarded. Rusty Wallace, the track designer, told the crowd before the command that “we’re finally here” after nearly 20 years.

Team Penkse’s Joey Logany liked what he saw in Iowa. David Rosenblum/Motorsport Images

“They love it. They love NASCAR,” Joey Logano said of the fanbase, which he interacted with on Saturday morning in the midway where SiriusXM NASCAR Radio set up a live recording of his Behind the Wheel segment. “I noticed that close to 20 years ago the first race that I ran here. It was packed for a Pro Cup race, and they sold it out that day. So, you can imagine when they finally get a Cup race here. … You can imagine what it’s like for everybody out there.

“They love it. I joked around that I don’t know where everyone is coming from because I see a lot of cornfields out here but they show up. It’s kind of like the ‘Field of Dreams.’ It’s definitely a cool place to see everyone show up and want to see a NASCAR race.”

Iowans and their neighboring race fans were rewarded with a great weekend of racing, and NASCAR was welcomed with open arms. All of the boxes were checked. And, as Brad Keselowski wasn’t shy about admitting to be glad about, was that it wasn’t a road course as most new venues in new markets have been in recent years.

“It’s nice to add a new venue to this sport that’s an actual stock car-esque track and that’s clearly what Iowa is, so I’m really pumped for this community,” Keselowski said. “I’m glad to see a community that pays its dues get a race.”

Iowa Speedway was packed and lived up to the hype; a place those who have visited it before enjoyed and wanted others to experience as well. If it is NASCAR’s version of ‘Field of Dreams,’ the fans did indeed come and it was a weekend to remember.

NASCAR evaluating Iowa surface despite strong debut weekend

NASCAR has a lot to evaluate about the future of the surface of Iowa Speedway after a successful doubleheader weekend. The track had a sold-out weekend, the NASCAR Cup series race being a long-awaited inaugural event at the facility. Ryan Blaney won …

NASCAR has a lot to evaluate about the future of the surface of Iowa Speedway after a successful doubleheader weekend.

The track had a sold-out weekend, the NASCAR Cup series race being a long-awaited inaugural event at the facility. Ryan Blaney won Sunday night’s race, and it’s a race that is receiving positive reviews.

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But going into the weekend, there were doubts about the surface since many were taken by surprise when NASCAR chose to repave sections of the corners to address what they described as problem areas. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, said there was no anticipation of issues, and he was proven to be correct. Although the aesthetic of the repave garnered criticism, it was not a factor during the weekend’s three races (the ARCA Menards Series ran Friday night).

“We had great racing,” Sawyer said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We had side by side (racing). We had two lanes. So, I’m sure we’ll have a lot of dialogue around if we go back do you repave the whole facility? Do you just repave that third lane up by the wall? A lot of questions to answer on that.

“But I think the No. 1 thing is we had really, really good racing this past weekend. No matter what we do, we need to make sure we’re heading in a positive direction to make the racing better or to leave it as is and have another data point after next year.”

The industry is still waiting on the 2025 schedule, however, given the positive reception to NASCAR’s presence at Iowa Speedway, there are high hopes and expectations of returning. It’s a market and fan base that the drivers have praised for being passionate and deserving of a race, and there is no reason to believe NASCAR wouldn’t return next season.

Iowa speedway was built in 2006 and aside from the repaved corners, still has its original surface.

“We went into the weekend with a lot of unknowns,” Sawyer said. “As I said last week, our goal going into Iowa when we announced it last October, was not to repave. We wanted to get that first race on that old pavement and kind of get a data point, but that just wasn’t the case. Some areas needed some attention and we did that, and we have what we had there this past weekend.”

Two-tire call in Iowa locks Blaney into Cup playoffs

This time, there was no unpleasant surprise waiting for Ryan Blaney near the finish line of a NASCAR Cup Series race. Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call under the final caution of Sunday night’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney …

This time, there was no unpleasant surprise waiting for Ryan Blaney near the finish line of a NASCAR Cup Series race.

Grabbing the lead on crew chief Jonathan Hassler’s two-tire call under the final caution of Sunday night’s Iowa Corn 350, Blaney led the final 88 laps of the inaugural Cup race at 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.

In front of a large contingent of family and friends, the reigning series champion crossed the finish line 0.716 seconds ahead of runner-up William Byron, who was racing on four new tires after a pit stop under caution for Chris Buescher’s accident on lap 260.

The victory was Blaney’s first of the season and the 11th of his career. He’s now won at Iowa Speedway in all three NASCAR national series, having triumphed in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2012 and the Xfinity Series in 2015.

All told, the race winner led four times for 201 of 350 laps on a track that was repaved in the bottom two lanes in the corners.

“What a cool way to win here. This place means a lot to me and means a lot to my mom (Lisa, from Chariton, Iowa),” said Blaney, who was leading June 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway outside St. Louis before running out of fuel on the white-flag lap.

“We had a lot of people here tonight cheering us on, so they willed us to that one. Overall, I really appreciate the whole [No. 12 team]. I mean, our car was really fast all night and we got a little bit better through the night, and two tires was a good call there.

“I didn’t know how well I was going to hold on. I started to struggle a little bit at the end but had enough to hang on. I’m super proud of the effort.”

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Byron wasn’t surprised Blaney won the race on two fresh tires, given the quality of the Team Penske driver’s No. 12 Ford.

“No, he had a really good car, so he was up front and contending a lot, and him and the No. 5 (pole winner Kyle Larson) were really good,” Byron said. “We were just a step off of that, you know?

“I feel like I just needed to turn the center just a hair better and still kind of maintain the long run. Proud of the effort. It was a really good night, and I feel like we can learn from this and build from it to be a little bit better.”

Noah kept driving that thing!

📺: @USANetwork | 📲: https://t.co/r61CT6jvrS pic.twitter.com/6usRIzzuY5

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 17, 2024

In a race that featured eight cautions for 49 laps, Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Christopher Bell, who started from the rear of the field in a backup car after blowing a right front tire and crashing in Friday’s practice.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. came home fifth, with Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski completing the top 10.

The restart after the second stage break changed the entire dynamic of the race. Larson had just taken the green/checkered flag to claim his eighth stage victory of the season, but on lap 220, one circuit after the final stage went green for the first time, contact from Suarez’s Chevrolet sent Larson’s Camaro spinning into the outside wall on the frontstretch, pinching Denny Hamlin’s Toyota into the barrier in the process.

Hendrick’s No. 5 crew eventually repaired the wounded machine, but not until the 2021 champion had lost 31 laps in the garage. Larson finished 34th, 36 laps down and lost the series lead to Elliott, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

Larson, who led 80 laps on Sunday before the accident that waylaid him, trails Elliott by eight points with nine races left in the regular season. Next up for the Cup Series is the June 23 USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RESULTS

‘I wish I could have that restart back’ – Larson’s Iowa regrets

Kyle Larson has yet to examine the video of the contact with Daniel Suarez that took him out of contention Sunday night at Iowa Speedway but he knows one thing: “I wish I could have that restart back,” Larson said. His No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports …

Kyle Larson has yet to examine the video of the contact with Daniel Suarez that took him out of contention Sunday night at Iowa Speedway but he knows one thing:

“I wish I could have that restart back,” Larson said.

His No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the class of the field through the first two stages of the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa, but one lap after the restart to begin the third stage — lap 220 — Larson’s wrecked car sat facing the wrong way down the frontstretch when Suarez got into his left-rear quarter panel off Turn 4.

BIG TROUBLE FOR KYLE LARSON.

📺 : USA Network | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ptwp3jo9vB

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 17, 2024

The incident collected Denny Hamlin, whom Larson collided with after being hit by Suarez. It was the end result of a three-wide battle with Suarez on the bottom, Larson in the middle, and Brad Keselowski running on the outside.

“I haven’t seen a replay yet, but I guess I could have just not gone to the middle and been more patient with how fast my car was and knowing who I was around,” Larson said. “I wanted to get as many cars as I could in the beginning of that little run, and it probably ended up biting me.”

Larson felt like he had room to make it three-wide. He restarted sixth and the crash happened with Keselowski, Larson and Suarez battling for the fourth, fifth, and sixth positions.

“We made it until, I don’t know, the exit of the corner, and then I’m not sure if Suarez got loose underneath me or what happened,” Larson said. “He got into my left rear and got me out of control.”

Suarez didn’t deny that he made contact with Larson, but the Trackhouse driver, who watched a replay of the contact after climbing from his car on pit road after the race, felt it was a matter of being caught off guard by where his competition was running.

“Honestly, during the race, I was so confused,” Suarez said. “I didn’t know exactly what happened; I didn’t know if I went up or he (Larson) came down. I just saw the replay for the very first time, and I noticed the No. 6 (Keselowski) was the one on the outside [and] he had like a quarter of the car from the wall because he was trying to pinch down the No. 5 (Larson). Then [the No. 5] had another quarter of a car to the No. 6 trying to pinch me down, and I was expecting those two guys to be closer to the wall like everyone else.

“I’m the one who made contact with the No. 5…but I feel like they were lower than what I was expecting.”

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Suarez finished ninth and Keselowski wound up 10th. The damage resulted in work on pit road for Larson’s team and then a trip to the garage for more extensive repairs. He finished 36 laps down in 34th position.

“If I could see a replay, I would tell you what went wrong, if it was my fault or what,” Larson said. “Obviously, if I don’t go three wide there, there’s probably no crash, but I’m probably running sixth in Turn 1. Either way, sixth is better than crashed, so I don’t know.

“I think I should have been more aware of who I was around. Suarez is really aggressive, and he was probably just pushing and got loose, I’m guessing, underneath me.”

Before the crash, the No. 5 had led 80 of the first 214 laps, also collecting his eighth stage win of the season. He won the second stage after coming from the 33rd position, having pitted under a lap 80 caution suspecting a tire issue. The race restarted on lap 87, and Larson was inside the top 10 by lap 105.

He took the lead to win the stage on lap 189. Of no surprise, Larson felt his team missed out on another potential victory.

“It’s hard to say how the rest of the race is going to play out, but I think, no doubt, I run top four,” he said. “I felt like by far we had the best car, so yeah, I feel like that one got away from us.”