Cup RACE thread --- Kansas

[StandOnIt]

I'm honestly stoked that people have been enjoying the racing at Kansas Speedway as of late. Now do people agree to this track having two races each season? I wouldn't go that far, but I'm certainly all for it!

I've been saying that for years, it's a great track.

 

[Efisher131]

Also, that’s why people race Larson dirty.

Buescher did everything to win and race clean and got done that way. Not dirty by Larson, but I’d be pissed if I got slammed twice like that after giving room.

I dunno man, sounds like you think Larson raced him dirty. Otherwise you wouldn’t make this post

 

[Spotter22]

They dont use the line on the track. They use the laser shot from the high speed camera. You would think RFK would know this

 

[antman12]

Unpopular opinion but I wanted to see the race finish naturally. We were about 15 seconds away from seeing Truex blow past the 11 or seeing if Hamlin was able to pick up his pace and make it to the end.

Exciting finish nonetheless.

 

[Mispeedway15]

I couldn't agree more....Like Kansas last year...right? Jesus Christ....somehow we vilify Hamlin for pushing Larson up, but when Larson takes two shots at Buescher...just what the **** do we call that? Larson has gotten everything he deserves....and I think he has one coming from Buescher.

This post is a joke. There’s a difference between wrecking a guy on the straight and checking him. Hell, IndyCar does that stuff all the time for Pete’s sake

 

[Chase Fan 79]

Unpopular opinion but I wanted to see the race finish naturally. We were about 15 seconds away from seeing Truex blow past the 11 or seeing if Hamlin was able to pick up his pace and make it to the end.

Exciting finish nonetheless.

I agree with that and that's with the fact that the caution helped my driver go from finishing around 8th to finishing 3rd and having a shot at the win. Very exciting but I am old school and love seeing strategy play out. Hamlin was the luckiest SOB yesterday with cautions coming right when he needed them because Truex would have blown his doors off in another half a lap or so.

 

[Chase Fan 79]

Larson damn near wrecked Buescher for the win tonight.
Hit him twice, to be exact.
That’s how racing goes when it comes down to the end.

Come on man. Larson did nothing wring there. Hard racing for the win and no one crashed.

 

[Chase Fan 79]

Good race and exciting finish. My only issue with the race was track position meaning a little too much. A little too hard to pass but not the worst I have seen. I am surprised to see the complaining on what Larson did to win. Seemed like good hard racing to me. On the plus side too there will not be any articles out there with Larson complaining this week since he won the race so all must be right with the world. LOL. I do agree with some of the comments here that his fans should show the same energy and excitement when he gets beat in a good finish but I guess some really struggle with that.

My other takeaways - What is wrong with Joey Logano? I am saying this as a Chae Elliott fan who got so sick of listening to the naysayers when he was running mid-pack. Joey seems to be a forgotten driver running the 20's a lot of the time and there is no buzz about what is going on with them. Cindric seems to have more speed and so does Keslowski and the 17 and they have had speed in the new Ford so just very odd and no criticism that I have seen.

I think this race further solidified my opinion that the 11 and 5 are the cars to beat for the title right now with Chase nipping at their heels. Another good top-5 for Chase but I was a little surprised and disappointed by how hard it was for them to get to the front. I thought the car was better then where they ran most of the day. I think they have enough speed in race trim to be very competitive but they need to figure out how to get and keep track position earlier in the race. Texas was one place they did this and the result was a win. Seems like there is a "bubble" in the middle of the field from like 7-23 where passing is hard even when the car is good.

Also very surprised by the 24 not being great but in fairness he was better then where he finished. Just got back there in the mid-pack NASCAR soup.

 

[BobbyFord]

Come on man. Larson did nothing wring there. Hard racing for the win and no one crashed.

But he did deliberately hit him twice.

 

[Revman]

This post is a joke. There’s a difference between wrecking a guy on the straight and checking him. Hell, IndyCar does that stuff all the time for Pete’s sake

I love this place....new term "checking him".....when it's somebody other than Denny.....or whoever is the least popular RF driver. I will remember that. You are so right though....a tap in the left quarter is so different from turning left twice to break a guy's momentum at the line....I agree......"checking him." BTW.....Larson is so good that he finished second....."wrecked."

 

[Revman]

But he did deliberately hit him twice.

What makes this sport so great is the fandom (sometimes). If Denny pulls that **** at the end, this place would blow up, and we would hear nothing else on NASCAR Radio for a week. Larson pulls this, and it's "checking him" (in the great words of @Mispeedway15). Honestly, I love this, and the passion is what separates this sport from others. The other positive is that we will hear a full week of how great this car is on 1.5s instead of the endless bull**** about how bad it is. @AndyMarquisLive hit the nail on the head with the Larson deal. He knows what he is doing, and he knows how to spin it when it is done to him.

 

[Revman]

Kansas last year? Lol, you mean when Hamlin couldn't pass without wrecking Larson? No comparison. But it makes sense in rice burner world I suppose. What happened tonight? Maybe next year...not tonight lol.

You'd think you would put your BS to the back burner for a second and support Buescher--a true "racer" (whatever in the hell that is) by every measure....even in his post race tweet.....but ya just can't get off of The Felon's substantial teet, can ya?

 

[Mispeedway15]

I love this place....new term "checking him".....when it's somebody other than Denny.....or whoever is the least popular RF driver. I will remember that. You are so right though....a tap in the left quarter is so different from turning left twice to break a guy's momentum at the line....I agree......"checking him." BTW.....Larson is so good that he finished second....."wrecked."

 

[Revman]

The 5 finished second.



Little less dramatic.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

I don’t get the “Larson fans need to keep the same energy when it’s done to him” comments. First off, he’s been run over his fair share of times since he’s been in this sport, like since 2014 when Newman bulldozed him at Phoenix to get the Final as the first time, so as a fan I’ve been keeping the receipts for a long time coming. Second, folks think last nights finish was dirty? Really? They doored each other coming to the line? 02 Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch are laughing. Since this format has been introduced it’s no holds barred coming to the checkers, that’s been proven over and over again through various parties trying to win a race. Race wins mean too much, it’s an automatic playoff berth and can change your season, I think we can agree on that. It honestly needs to be said the underlying angst for Larson isn’t the way he drives, I’ve seen dirtier drivers and he’s not dirty. It’s in you’re either in the camp of what he said in 2020 and he should have been canceled from nascar forever or you’re still pissy he showed up in 21 to his newest team and not only beat the reigning defending champion but also took team lead over from him too and frankly hasn’t done much since Larson’s arrival. To say “he a dirty driver and I dislike him” is very convenient to say when the entire field would race that way to the line if they were in position to win. Just call a spade a spade

 

[Chase Fan 79]

I don’t get the “Larson fans need to keep the same energy when it’s done to him” comments. First off, he’s been run over his fair share of times since he’s been in this sport, like since 2014 when Newman bulldozed him at Phoenix to get the Final as the first time, so as a fan I’ve been keeping the receipts for a long time coming. Second, folks think last nights finish was dirty? Really? They doored each other coming to the line? 02 Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch are laughing. Since this format has been introduced it’s no holds barred coming to the checkers, that’s been proven over and over again through various parties trying to win a race. Race wins mean too much, it’s an automatic playoff berth and can change your season, I think we can agree on that. It honestly needs to be said the underlying angst for Larson isn’t the way he drives, I’ve seen dirtier drivers and he’s not dirty. It’s in you’re either in the camp of what he said in 2020 and he should have been canceled from nascar forever or you’re still pissy he showed up in 21 to his newest team and not only beat the reigning defending champion but also took team lead over from him too and frankly hasn’t done much since Larson’s arrival. To say “he a dirty driver and I dislike him” is very convenient to say when the entire field would race that way to the line if they were in position to win. Just call a spade a spa

Here's the deal - Larson is a great driver so he's going to be a target no matter what. That said - I don't feel like he does himself any favors with the things he comes out and complains about and intentionally or not, he seems to have an issue when he does not win (tires at Bristol, blocking at Dover) but if he wins then all is OK. I honestly don't think he intends to come off like this but when the rest of the fan-base has to hear all the time about how talented Larson is these things will just sound sour to everyone. I have ZERO issue with what he did at Kansas yesterday. When you beat someone by .001 seconds you did not use them up. I am however STILL pissed about what he did to Chase in 2022 at Fontana and Watkins Glen. My favorite part of Fontana was Kyle Petty (who clearly hates Chase and I don't care what anyone says) put the blame on Chase saying something like it may have been better just to follow Larson in that situation. Really?

Anyway - Larson is becoming that love or hate guy. I try to remain neutral and objective on everyone but I do admit that Larson irritates me (and many others I am sure) because if you are not a fan of his you have to hear all the time that he supposedly has more talent out there than everyone else when in reality if you remove the 2021 season he has largely underachieved. I don't feel like enough was made out of him missing the round of 8 in 2022. That is just not acceptable for a guy with that much speed and talent. Hell, for as bad as Chase's 20223 supposedly was, he would have sleepwalked into the round of 8 if he had been in the playoffs.

 

[2 Sweet]

I don’t get the “Larson fans need to keep the same energy when it’s done to him” comments. First off, he’s been run over his fair share of times since he’s been in this sport, like since 2014 when Newman bulldozed him at Phoenix to get the Final as the first time, so as a fan I’ve been keeping the receipts for a long time coming. Second, folks think last nights finish was dirty? Really? They doored each other coming to the line? 02 Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch are laughing. Since this format has been introduced it’s no holds barred coming to the checkers, that’s been proven over and over again through various parties trying to win a race. Race wins mean too much, it’s an automatic playoff berth and can change your season, I think we can agree on that. It honestly needs to be said the underlying angst for Larson isn’t the way he drives, I’ve seen dirtier drivers and he’s not dirty. It’s in you’re either in the camp of what he said in 2020 and he should have been canceled from nascar forever or you’re still pissy he showed up in 21 to his newest team and not only beat the reigning defending champion but also took team lead over from him too and frankly hasn’t done much since Larson’s arrival. To say “he a dirty driver and I dislike him” is very convenient to say when the entire field would race that way to the line if they were in position to win. Just call a spade a spade

It's just a handful of salty Hamlin fans grasping at straws. Whenever there's contact and the 11 isn't involved, the Denny fanbase starts crying about a lack of outrage. They look around and don't see everyone crying foul, and for some reason they are upset by it. "But but but iF dEnNy HaD dOnE tHaT....."

I'll never understand the victim mentality coming from some of these fanbases. Who cares about "unfair" treatment from other fans? Reputations exist for a reason, context matters, and fans are biased (at times for good reason). In other news, water is wet.

 

[StandOnIt]

Hit the nail right on the head. ^^^^

 

[Efisher131]

It's just a handful of salty Hamlin fans grasping at straws. Whenever there's contact and the 11 isn't involved, the Denny fanbase starts crying about a lack of outrage. They look around and don't see everyone crying foul, and for some reason they are upset by it. "But but but iF dEnNy HaD dOnE tHaT....."

I'll never understand the victim mentality coming from some of these fanbases. Who cares about "unfair" treatment from other fans? Reputations exist for a reason, context matters, and fans are biased (at times for good reason). In other news, water is wet.

There’s a difference between dooring someone 100 yards from the line, and wiping them out completely. Hamlin just wipes them out completely. Chase in 2017, Ross at Pocono in 2022, and Larson at Kansas and Pocono in 2023. Larson’s dirtiest win came from running Chase wide at Watkins Glen. Was that fair game on a teammate? Probably not. On anyone else it is though, and that doesn’t hold a candle to any of Hamlin’s crappy moves in the past 7 years.

 

[2 Sweet]

There’s a difference between dooring someone 100 yards from the line, and wiping them out completely. Hamlin just wipes them out completely. Chase in 2017, Ross at Pocono in 2022, and Larson at Kansas and Pocono in 2023. Larson’s dirtiest win came from running Chase wide at Watkins Glen. That doesn’t hold a candle to any of Hamlin’s crappy moves in the past 7 years.

Exactly. It's not like Denny dumping Chase at Martinsville, or that ridiculous, chicken ****, dirty, cowardly video game stunt JHN pulled on Custer to win at Mosport.

IMO, yesterday was just good, hard racing for the win. Side by side coming to the line, and nobody got taken out. If ANYONE (including Denny) raced the 17 the way Larson did, I think it's fair game. Doesn't matter who's in the seat.

Now, as far as any negative reactions from the fanbases? OK, take that same situation, but Mark Martin is driving the 5. Nobody says a bad thing because everyone knows how clean he races. But you put Denny in the 5, and sure, some people would be upset. That's what happens when you have his reputation.

 

[StandOnIt]

 

[hmmm298]

And 3rd in points, and 0 championships.

Byron lucking into 3 or 4 wins last year, finishing behind his teammate in the championship, and then and having a hot start this year doesn't put him above his champion teammate both who rank above him

Being the first driver in the field to get 3 wins in 3 consecutive seasons (and counting) isn’t lucking into anything.

 

[StandOnIt]

 

[DIDIT]

Good race and exciting finish. My only issue with the race was track position meaning a little too much. A little too hard to pass but not the worst I have seen.

Too frequently I complain about how much track position and areo negatively affect the racing. Yesterday there were so many comers and goers and drivers who either spun/wrecked or had pit road issues drive from the rear of the field back to the front. Heck, at one point Blaney was harping on his radio that this is BS and its impossible to pass anybody. Then the last long run he drove from around 25th to 10th. Hmmm.

hear all the time that he supposedly has more talent out there than everyone else when in reality if you remove the 2021 season he has largely underachieved.

Seriously? 9 wins and 34 top 5's in less than 2 1/2 Cup seasons is underachieving post 2021, I wonder what you expect his results to be to at least be adequate?

Regarding his "talent" he has 32 World of Outlaw wins averaging almost one win every 3 times he races.
He has 4 wins in 21 races in the High Limit series.
He does not race full time in either one of those two series.

I am not going to take the time to see where he stands driving late models, but I have no doubt his record there is equally impressive.

...and just what do we expect from him at Indy this year?

My opinion, he is the most talented driver I have ever had the opportunity to watch race.

Like him or not that doesn't discount his talent. Heck, I find KFB down right intolerable, but I have to admit he is one of the best when it comes to racing in NASCAR.

...its a cold and rainy Monday here is NW Montana so I had some free time this morning.

 

[Chase Fan 79]

Too frequently I complain about how much track position and areo negatively affect the racing. Yesterday there were so many comers and goers and drivers who either spun/wrecked or had pit road issues drive from the rear of the field back to the front. Heck, at one point Blaney was harping on his radio that this is BS and its impossible to pass anybody. Then the last long run he drove from around 25th to 10th. Hmmm.

Seriously? 9 wins and 34 top 5's in less than 2 1/2 Cup seasons is underachieving post 2021, I wonder what you expect his results to be to at least be adequate?

Regarding his "talent" he has 32 World of Outlaw wins averaging almost one win every 3 times he races.
He has 4 wins in 21 races in the High Limit series.
He does not race full time in either one of those two series.

I am not going to take the time to see where he stands driving late models, but I have no doubt his record there is equally impressive.

...and just what do we expect from him at Indy this year?

My opinion, he is the most talented driver I have ever had the opportunity to watch race.

Like him or not that doesn't discount his talent. Heck, I find KFB down right intolerable, but I have to admit he is one of the best when it comes to racing in NASCAR.

...its a cold and rainy Monday here is NW Montana so I had some free time this morning.

Some fair points....

I will say though that yes - In my opinion he has underachieved outside of 2021 but only based on those that think he is the second coming.

He is great in WOO for sure as well but to me that does not necessarily have anything to do with CUP cars.

I think as of right now at this moment - yes in my opinion he has the most raw talent but it's not by such a long stretch that some of his fans make it out to be. The most talented pure driver I have even seen is Tony Stweart and I'd argue 7 days a week that Tony was more talented than Larson. On the question of what Larson will do at Indy - does it matter? Tony has already been there and done everything. USAC Triple Crown winner, Indy Car Champ, CUP Series champ. I didn't like Stewart much but will always say he's the best pure driver I have had the pleasure to watch. I was at a Modified series race at Loudon in the early to mid 2000's and saw him get knocked into the grass in the backstretch, hit a huge bump in the infield and catch major air and still have the car control to come back onto the track and maintain race speed.

 

[StandOnIt]

Some fair points....

I will say though that yes - In my opinion he has underachieved outside of 2021 but only based on those that think he is the second coming.

He is great in WOO for sure as well but to me that does not necessarily have anything to do with CUP cars.

I think as of right now at this moment - yes in my opinion he has the most raw talent but it's not by such a long stretch that some of his fans make it out to be. The most talented pure driver I have even seen is Tony Stweart and I'd argue 7 days a week that Tony was more talented than Larson. On the question of what Larson will do at Indy - does it matter? Tony has already been there and done everything. USAC Triple Crown winner, Indy Car Champ, CUP Series champ. I didn't like Stewart much but will always say he's the best pure driver I have had the pleasure to watch. I was at a Modified series race at Loudon in the early to mid 2000's and saw him get knocked into the grass in the backstretch, hit a huge bump in the infield and catch major air and still have the car control to come back onto the track and maintain race speed.

Doesn't think that a driver from the most popular racing series in the country and from a state that is the 5th largest economy in the world isn't important to be racing at Indy. lol

 

[DIDIT]

Some fair points....

I will say though that yes - In my opinion he has underachieved outside of 2021 but only based on those that think he is the second coming.

He is great in WOO for sure as well but to me that does not necessarily have anything to do with CUP cars.

I think as of right now at this moment - yes in my opinion he has the most raw talent but it's not by such a long stretch that some of his fans make it out to be. The most talented pure driver I have even seen is Tony Stweart and I'd argue 7 days a week that Tony was more talented than Larson. On the question of what Larson will do at Indy - does it matter? Tony has already been there and done everything. USAC Triple Crown winner, Indy Car Champ, CUP Series champ. I didn't like Stewart much but will always say he's the best pure driver I have had the pleasure to watch. I was at a Modified series race at Loudon in the early to mid 2000's and saw him get knocked into the grass in the backstretch, hit a huge bump in the infield and catch major air and still have the car control to come back onto the track and maintain race speed.

You are right his sprint car results doesn't really have anything to do with CUP cars, but were presented to support his overall talent. That is why I included pre 21 results.
Maybe I saw too much of the "old Stewart" driving outside of NASCAR and not enough of the "young Stewart" to fairly compare him to Larson. It would certainly be an entertaining discussion to compare the two of them.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

Here's the deal - Larson is a great driver so he's going to be a target no matter what. That said - I don't feel like he does himself any favors with the things he comes out and complains about and intentionally or not, he seems to have an issue when he does not win (tires at Bristol, blocking at Dover) but if he wins then all is OK. I honestly don't think he intends to come off like this but when the rest of the fan-base has to hear all the time about how talented Larson is these things will just sound sour to everyone. I have ZERO issue with what he did at Kansas yesterday. When you beat someone by .001 seconds you did not use them up. I am however STILL pissed about what he did to Chase in 2022 at Fontana and Watkins Glen. My favorite part of Fontana was Kyle Petty (who clearly hates Chase and I don't care what anyone says) put the blame on Chase saying something like it may have been better just to follow Larson in that situation. Really?

Anyway - Larson is becoming that love or hate guy. I try to remain neutral and objective on everyone but I do admit that Larson irritates me (and many others I am sure) because if you are not a fan of his you have to hear all the time that he supposedly has more talent out there than everyone else when in reality if you remove the 2021 season he has largely underachieved. I don't feel like enough was made out of him missing the round of 8 in 2022. That is just not acceptable for a guy with that much speed and talent. Hell, for as bad as Chase's 20223 supposedly was, he would have sleepwalked into the round of 8 if he had been in the playoffs.

I rest my case. Playoff appearances with Ganassi racing, wins in that equipment while not bad was not at the top of the food chain, and to top it off, "IF we want to remove 2021" well 2021 happened so if we pretended that year didn't happened it'd be a argument devoid of logic. People can like who they want to like and thats fine, but man just come out and say you cheer against the guy. I've done that with Ross Chastain and the times I've called him the Imitator, or a bootleg Earnhardt. Its fine, we're all just busting balls here at the end of the day, I've had some run ins with Ross fans on here doing that.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

Being the first driver in the field to get 3 wins in 3 consecutive seasons (and counting) isn’t lucking into anything.

thats wild. Some folks still find Byron to be lucky, when the picture he's painting has been quite the opposite of that. He'd have my money if I were betting to be the champion come Phoenix, he's so good. I feel like you're missing out if you just hide behind the "hes lucky" argument. He really can win anywhere, anytime, any place now.

 

[StandOnIt]

thats wild. Some folks still find Byron to be lucky,

and some folks hallucinate a lot.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

It's just a handful of salty Hamlin fans grasping at straws. Whenever there's contact and the 11 isn't involved, the Denny fanbase starts crying about a lack of outrage. They look around and don't see everyone crying foul, and for some reason they are upset by it. "But but but iF dEnNy HaD dOnE tHaT....."

I'll never understand the victim mentality coming from some of these fanbases. Who cares about "unfair" treatment from other fans? Reputations exist for a reason, context matters, and fans are biased (at times for good reason). In other news, water is wet.

personally, I dont even have a problem when Denny does it and gets it served back to him. I just find it so humorous he drives the way he does with swagger and all that, but then finds every way manageable to lose in November when it counts the most. I didnt mean to come off like a victim mentality about Larson, its just the same song played every time he wins. I wish people would change their songs and not just on here either, its all over the Socials. I mean somehow this fanbase found a way to turn it into a bad thing that a driver from NASCAR is racing in the Indy 500, thats crazy to me. When Stewart did it, I wasnt particularly fond of him and Gibbs but I rooted all in for him to win the 500, I've always kind of appreciated drivers doing cool stuff.

 

[2 Sweet]

I didnt mean to come off like a victim mentality about Larson, its just the same song played every time he wins.

You didn't. I was talking about the Hamlin fans, and in the past, Kyle Busch fans. They seem very bothered by the negative fan reactions toward their drivers

 

[StandOnIt]

This is awesome listen to the end lol.

 

[Chase Fan 79]

I rest my case. Playoff appearances with Ganassi racing, wins in that equipment while not bad was not at the top of the food chain, and to top it off, "IF we want to remove 2021" well 2021 happened so if we pretended that year didn't happened it'd be a argument devoid of logic. People can like who they want to like and thats fine, but man just come out and say you cheer against the guy. I've done that with Ross Chastain and the times I've called him the Imitator, or a bootleg Earnhardt. Its fine, we're all just busting balls here at the end of the day, I've had some run ins with Ross fans on here doing that.

Look - I don't see the big deal to admit I am still pissed about that. I am pissed about it because Chase has always raced Larson clean and never roughed him up that I can remember but does not get the same treatment in return. I am still pissed about Hamlin at Martinsville in 2017 also but at the same time cane respect the talent he has. You have to remember....every statement I make about Larson is in response to these people who think he is so much more talented than everyone else. Has he been good outside of 2021? - Obviously but 2021 was the only year that lived up to the Larson hype I hear all the time. I don't want to hear about equipment either. Ganassi was perfectly competitive and drivers like Kasey Kahne have been able to win no matter what team they drove for. Chase seemed to run better when HMS as a whole was not on top of their game. I am not saying equipment means absolutely NOTHING but a great driver who is hyped by some to possibly be the most "talented" driver ever would have success in just about anything and Ganassi was not exactly the bottom of the food chain.

No matter what I say though - I get it - the dude can drive. Just wish I did not have to hear about it all the time. I still maintain as I mentioned in another post that I think Tiney Stewart is the most talented I have seen in my lifetime but I don't remember TV and his fans talking about it all the time.

 

[jaqua19]

Still just a tick off but they've almost figured it out. That kind of consistency even without wins can carry you a long way in the playoffs if they can maintain it - which is unlikely to this degree, but showing they can still do it is an important part of the process.

Meh, unfortunately that consistency doesn't carry you as far without playoff points, so, at some point, he's probably gonna need to start grabbing some stage wins.

From an execution stand point though, he's there. I'm honestly not sure how much better he and Alan can be (despite my hating on Alan) this season over each weekend, other than just unloading faster. Chase is routinely getting better throughout the race, mistakes are uncommon and he's finishing better than where he runs. That'll translate into stage wins and race wins when they find more speed.

I thought the speed was there yesterday. He drove around Byron a few times and I did see him making some pretty strong passes from p14-10 on the bottom in one corner. Just couldn't really get the track position..but he had his best restart of the race at the end. The 9 team is clicking on all cylinders right now imo. The only thing missing compared to the 5 is raw pace, there's nothing else

 

[jaqua19]

The 5 finished second.



Little less dramatic.

Larson himself even said he was wrecking out of 2. This one was a lot of nothing.

 

[jaqua19]

I don’t get the “Larson fans need to keep the same energy when it’s done to him” comments. First off, he’s been run over his fair share of times since he’s been in this sport, like since 2014 when Newman bulldozed him at Phoenix to get the Final as the first time, so as a fan I’ve been keeping the receipts for a long time coming. Second, folks think last nights finish was dirty? Really? They doored each other coming to the line? 02 Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch are laughing. Since this format has been introduced it’s no holds barred coming to the checkers, that’s been proven over and over again through various parties trying to win a race. Race wins mean too much, it’s an automatic playoff berth and can change your season, I think we can agree on that. It honestly needs to be said the underlying angst for Larson isn’t the way he drives, I’ve seen dirtier drivers and he’s not dirty. It’s in you’re either in the camp of what he said in 2020 and he should have been canceled from nascar forever or you’re still pissy he showed up in 21 to his newest team and not only beat the reigning defending champion but also took team lead over from him too and frankly hasn’t done much since Larson’s arrival. To say “he a dirty driver and I dislike him” is very convenient to say when the entire field would race that way to the line if they were in position to win. Just call a spade a spade

I'll speak to it as well, and it's always Byron and Elliott fans who seem to do this.

Fans get to be fans, whatever. But everytime Larson wins a race, there's people here calling out his fans like a wet blanket. It's entirely childish and uncalled for. You don't have to like Larson, you can be unhappy with the race, or how he races, fine. But his fans being called out and catching strays for no reason is ****** stupid.

 

[jaqua19]

Look - I don't see the big deal to admit I am still pissed about that. I am pissed about it because Chase has always raced Larson clean and never roughed him up that I can remember but does not get the same treatment in return. I am still pissed about Hamlin at Martinsville in 2017 also but at the same time cane respect the talent he has. You have to remember....every statement I make about Larson is in response to these people who think he is so much more talented than everyone else. Has he been good outside of 2021? - Obviously but 2021 was the only year that lived up to the Larson hype I hear all the time. I don't want to hear about equipment either. Ganassi was perfectly competitive and drivers like Kasey Kahne have been able to win no matter what team they drove for. Chase seemed to run better when HMS as a whole was not on top of their game. I am not saying equipment means absolutely NOTHING but a great driver who is hyped by some to possibly be the most "talented" driver ever would have success in just about anything and Ganassi was not exactly the bottom of the food chain.

No matter what I say though - I get it - the dude can drive. Just wish I did not have to hear about it all the time. I still maintain as I mentioned in another post that I think Tiney Stewart is the most talented I have seen in my lifetime but I don't remember TV and his fans talking about it all the time.

Larson has won 9 times in the gen 7 car already, and he's won 19 races with HMS, which is 3rd all time. He won in 2021, was runner up last year, and is leading the points now. In terms of results, it's not egregious to claim he's been the top performing HMS car in general over the last 4 seasons.

Totally agreed about Tony Stewart being the most talented. Disagree about the media and tv not talking about it. Smokes the most talented American racer of all time. We all knew this.

 

[StandOnIt]

I'll speak to it as well, and it's always Byron and Elliott fans who seem to do this.

Fans get to be fans, whatever. But everytime Larson wins a race, there's people here calling out his fans like a wet blanket. It's entirely childish and uncalled for. You don't have to like Larson, you can be unhappy with the race, or how he races, fine. But his fans being called out and catching strays for no reason is ****** stupid.

Actually there were only about two maybe three R-Fers doing that. The usual suspects. Who cares.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

What a picture. So much going on in it