Larson incurs first NASCAR Cup Series DNF at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. — In his 10th NASCAR Cup Series start at the track, Kyle Larson failed to finish a race at Darlington Raceway.
Larson pitted from the top 10 on Lap 109 with engine issues. He reported having an exhaust leak in the previous 10 laps and then believed he dropped a cylinder a lap before pitting. His car was taken behind the wall and diagnostics, combined with a check of the valve covers, revealed his issues were terminal.
Before the issues, Larson had recovered to the top 10 after spinning during a battle for second with Kyle Busch on Lap 55.
“Our No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet was super good today, so that’s promising. I feel like maybe we hit on something here this weekend,” Kyle Larson told Team Chevrolet. “I hate that we’re not going to get the finish that we deserve, but I’m proud of my team for the car they brought today.”
Larson will finish 36th – last – in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington. According to LASTCAR, this is his ninth career last-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The lowest Larson will fall to is 10th in points, meaning he will still remain in position for at least one playoff point after Darlington.
Larson entered Darlington with a string of four top-10 finishes in five races in 2022 after three straight finishes of 29th or worse.
Larson’s previous worst finish at Darlington is 14th overall in the 2017 Southern 500 after leading 124 laps. In that race, Larson finished fourth in stage two and was edged out by Martin Truex Jr. for the stage one win.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com