The NASCAR Playoffs presented yet another radical race at Kansas Speedway, and a fight in the late part of the race brought anarchy, one-second decisions, and much post-race thought.
The final rounds of the Hollywood Casino 400 witnessed drivers lose their grip on every ranking in the scramble as they stuck out bridges, which occasionally turned against them and other times worked in their favor.
Post-eventually, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, and Kyle Larson all disregarded their versions of the outcome- nice line of victory and broken heart that defines playoff racing.
Chase Briscoe Concedes Split-Second Move Could have cost him a shot at Kansas Win.
Chase Briscoe came away with a fourth-place finish but admitted the outcome could have been very different if just one decision had gone another way.
“It was tough,” Briscoe said. “I’ve never really been in a situation like that, where I needed really anybody but Bubba to win in that situation, but I wanted to still put it in a position where I could still win the race, too.”
The restarts were the turning point for Briscoe, who described them as “so circumstantial.” He noted how quickly fortunes can flip: “One thing goes your way, and you can end up winning the race. One bad thing goes your way, and you end up running fifth to seventh.”
On the second-to-last restart, Briscoe saw a big chance: “I had a huge run out of the back straightaway, and I thought I could clear, potentially. So I tried to make it three wide, but looking back on it, maybe it would have been better to hit the 20 as hard as I could and try to get him to the lead. But it is so crazy on those restarts. You’re making split-second decisions. One variable can change, and what you thought was the right move is the wrong move.”
Despite the frustration, Briscoe pointed out his playoff consistency: “Crazy, I think we’re averaging a top-five finish in the playoffs, and we’re only 20 points above. Never feel safe at the Roval, but go there and try to do our job.”
Bubba Wallace Reflects on Near Win, Says ‘Two Years Ago I’d Have Called Hamlin a Dumbass’
Bubba Wallace came home fifth after nearly stealing a win, a result he admitted looked unlikely at the start of the day.
“To even have a shot at the win with the way we started, you could have fooled me. We were not good. We missed it on the fire-off speed. I just really appreciate the team.”
The finish left Wallace reflecting on his growth, especially when racing teammate and team owner Denny Hamlin. “Two years ago, I’d probably say something dumb (about Hamlin, like) ‘He’s a dumbass for that move. I don’t care if he’s my boss or not.’ But we’re going for the win.”
Wallace was also frustrated about handing Chevrolet the victory. “I hate that we gave it to Chevrolet there. Toyotas were super fast, and I was proud to be driving one. I thought it was meant to be, and then it wasn’t.”
Even so, Wallace found positives: “All in all, the positives, though. We were minus-27 coming in; we’re minus-26 leaving. We gained a point.”
Kyle Larson Pleased With Top-10 but Admits Toyotas Had Him Beat on Speed
Kyle Larson finished sixth, and while satisfied with another top-10, he was realistic about his chances.
“It didn’t affect my ride, I don’t think. I actually felt pretty good after it. My No. 5 Chevrolet was good all race long. I just couldn’t go for 15 laps like the Toyotas could, but I felt like after that, we were really good.”
Larson noted the challenge of passing but credited his team: “Overall, our team brought a really fast Chevy. I just need to study the restarts and those first handful of laps on each restart to see what I could do better with the balance that I had.”
Looking ahead, Larson is sitting comfortably: “Overall, it was a great day. We’re 54 points above the cutline, happy about that heading into the Charlotte Roval.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson Sound Off After Wild NASCAR Finish appeared first on Heavy Sports.