Kyle Larson, who announced his Truck Series return with Spire Motorsports a short 17 days ago, took the checkered flag on Friday. Larson miraculously recovered despite a lap 91 spinout that knocked him out of the top 20. On the final 10 laps of the 134-lap race at Homestead-Miami, the 29-time winner dominated the field.
No. 34 Layne Riggs was in the lead for Front Row Motorsports, but Larson managed to pass him. After dodging Riggs Ford F-150, he coursed to victory in 1.340 seconds, turning 3 Craftsman Career wins into 4. Larson also competed in the Hard Rock Bet 300, finished in P4, and took the win for the Cup Straight Talk Wireless 400.
Kyle Larson initially went into the triple-header weekend hoping to sweep Craftsman, Xfinity, and Cup. However, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier upset this by clinching his second consecutive win. Larson is set to take on another triple-header this weekend in Martinsville. Will he finally sweep all three series?
Kyle Larson’s Homestead Miracle
After the Lap 91 spinout, Kyle Larson was unsure if he could recover his No. 7 Chevrolet. Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim, who won the Ecosave 200 in Las Vegas, challenged him in the final half of the race. Heim was difficult to pass, but Larson made a bold charge to the front once he opened up. He mentioned his uncertainties about recovering in a post-race interview.
“I wasn’t exactly sure if I could get back up there,” Kyle Larson explained.“I didn’t have the restart I wanted, took a little bit too long to start picking them off, and then just got ripping the wall and it paid dividends for me in turns 1 and 2,” he added. From the start, he knew it would be difficult to fend off Heim, who already notched wins in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Fortunately, for Larson on lap 114, Heim’s No. 11 Toyota Tundra experienced a glitch. The mishap caused the truck’s engine to shut on and off, knocking him out of the lead. The Tricon Garage star walked away disappointed after finishing third behind Layne Riggs (P2). Kyle Larson was in an initial state of shock after he had every expectation of placing second.
“Not sure what happened to the 11, but that worked out in our favor for sure,” Larson said. “I don’t think I would have gotten to him. Obviously, I would have gotten to second, probably, but that would have been tough to get to him. That last run was a lot of fun,” he said of his surprising finish.
Larson Praises Corey Heim’s Efforts at Homestead-Miami
Corey Heim, the toughest contender at Friday’s Baptist Health 200, ended his run early after experiencing mechanical issues. Kyle Larson is pleased to have another win but praises Heim for his efforts. He mentioned that the Tricon driver was strong throughout the race and hard to beat. A disappointed Heim, who started at Friday’s pole and led the field for 78 laps, feels differently.
“I feel like we were lights out, the best truck tonight, think we should’ve won the race by six, seven seconds at the end there,” Heim said post-race. “I feel like at the beginning of the runs, I knew what we were capable of and let those guys get away, burn their stuff up and then, fly past them.
Heim capped off his statement, saying, “I don’t know exactly what was going on. Never really had an issue like that. I’d be totally fine, and the engine would just hard cut [out] on me. The dash would go black and have no power until I fully cycled it. So, I was coasting for six seconds trying to turn the power switch and turn it back on I don’t know.”
Final Thought
Kyle Larson is heading to Martinsville this weekend for another triple-header. He tried but failed last week to sweep Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2021 Cup series champion won Craftsman and Cup and is eyeing an Xfinity win this week. Will he finally be able to beat top contenders like Justin Allgaier, who claimed his 26th career win? Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer is also one to watch. He’s placed in the top 10 for five consecutive races. Can Larson rise to the challenge?
