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In a dramatic turn of events during the race at Darlington, Ryan Blaney surged into the lead with only a handful of laps remaining when an unexpected caution came into play. The incident was triggered by Kyle Larson, who, despite being over 160 laps down, lost control while exiting Turn 2, leading to a collision with the inside wall. This sequence of pit stops and a subsequent overtime restart enabled Denny Hamlin to capitalize on the situation and clinch the victory, while Blaney slipped back to a fifth-place finish.
The caution that reshaped the race stemmed from a series of events involving Blaney and Tyler Reddick, as captured by in-car footage. Blaney, in his bid to overtake Reddick, forced him into a position where he slid up the track, subsequently crashing into the outside wall at the corner’s exit.
Larson, who had recently overtaken Bubba Wallace—who was one lap down—saw Reddick’s incident unfold before him and instinctively decelerated. However, given that Wallace had limited visibility due to being directly behind Larson’s car, he was unable to react swiftly enough and collided with Larson, instigating a spin.
Radio Communication Reveal Tensions
Wallace’s frustration was palpable as he communicated over the radio, expressing his disbelief at the sudden slowdown: “Brother, that was not that big of a [expletive] checkup … Ugh, I didn’t [expletive] want that.” Video footage indicated that moments before the incident, Wallace had been closely trailing Larson and was caught off guard when Larson abruptly hit the brakes.
The context behind Larson’s maneuver is notable; he was not battling Wallace for position. Larson had made a strategic decision to pit for fresh tires with fewer than 10 laps remaining, rapidly gaining ground on the leaders when he passed Wallace. When faced with Reddick’s situation, Larson slowed significantly by nearly 20 mph, which was a matter of safety on his part. “I was checking up so that’s embarrassing,” Larson later remarked via radio. While the incident can largely be categorized as a racing mishap, the focus shifts to Larson, whose cautious approach inadvertently led to the collision. His need to avoid a potential crash, unfortunately, resulted in a split-second reaction that left Wallace with no time to adjust.
It’s also important to note that had this incident occurred in the previous year, Larson might not have been able to rejoin the race after his earlier crash in a similar area. However, due to the newly adjusted damaged vehicle policy effective in 2025, he could make significant repairs in the garage without being disqualified from the race. Larson managed to maintain competitive speed in his repaired vehicle, yet he found himself in a precarious situation during a crucial moment.
Source
www.motorsport.com