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Motorsport

Darlington shocker as Kyle Larson wrecks early in NASCAR Cup race

Kyle Larson NASCAR Darlington (Facility) Cup

Kyle Larson started Sunday's race from 19th position on the grid. Driving a car inspired by Terry Labonte's 2003 Kellogg's car (which Labonte earned his final Cup win with), Larson's throwback scheme was awarded 'Best in Show' ahead of the 400-mile race.

Unfortunately, it didn't look that good for long. As Larson tried to make up some ground early, he was battling side-by-side with Joey Logano for 18th when his day came to a sudden and abrupt end.

Exiting Turn 2 on the low side, Larson crossed a seam through the uneven transition between banking and apron and spun sideways. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet slid across the track, slamming the inside wall nose-first. Larson tried, but was unable to drive it back due to the front-end damage.

.@KyleLarsonRacin gets loose crashes on Lap 4 at Darlington! 😱 #NASCAR

🎥 @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/FVqsiM2sD1
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) April 6, 2025

"So sorry," radioed a despondent Larson. The car was towed back to the garage to undergo lengthy repairs. Larson won the Southern 500 at Darlington in 2023 and has the second-best average finish among active drivers at the historic track.

It took over half the race, but Larson finally returned to the race near the end of the second stage, running over 160 laps down. He was able to quickly meet minimum speed. J.J. Yeley was the only other driver to go behind the wall during that time.

However, Larson wasn't done wrecking yet. Late in the race, Larson got turned exiting Turn 2 and crashed in a similar manner to his earlier incident, officially ending his day. In-car cameras show that Larson abruptly slowed after Tyler Reddick hit the wall in front of him. Unprepared for the sudden check-up, Bubba Wallace ran into the back of him and spun Larson out. The caution pushed the race into the overtime and set up a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. Larson finished 37th out of 38 entries, only placing ahead of Yeley in the end.

Photos from Darlington - Race

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Goodyear tire detail

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Cody Ware, Rick Ware Racing Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

NASCAR Hall of Famer, Carl Edwards, former NASCAR Cup Series driver, Greg Biffle

2025 Darlington - Sunday

NASCAR President Steve Phelps

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Riley Herbst, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

General view

2025 Darlington - Sunday

General view

2025 Darlington - Sunday

General view

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Justin Haley, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Noah Gragson, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Cole Custer, Haas Factory Team Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

General view

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2025 Darlington - Sunday

NASCAR Cup

51

In this article

Nick DeGroot

NASCAR Cup

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