Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, expressed frustration with his team Hendrick Motorsports during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, delivering a sarcastic remark over the team radio amid a difficult outing. The comment was highlighted by motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck, who tweeted Larson’s radio communication sourced from Cliff Daniels. Larson said, “What a race. Well, so far we’ve got one positive: We stayed on the lead lap and we have an opening in (to the pit box now). Yay,” reflecting his disappointment with the race circumstances.
Larson came into the Nashville race hoping to recover from a tough Memorial Day Weekend where he crashed out of both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500. However, Nashville did not improve his situation. He placed 24th in practice and then qualified 28th, marking his worst starting position of the season and the poorest qualifying among all Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Before the race, Larson explained that he struggled with timing and rhythm in practice, which affected his qualifying performance. He admitted to lacking confidence in corner entry and angle, which significantly hurt his qualifying result. He stated, “I just didn’t really have the confidence [on] where to drive into and what angle and all that. Unfortunately, didn’t qualify where we wanted to. I know our car is much better than 28th”.
Larson also discussed his racing approach, emphasizing that he prefers to take advantage of openings when they arise but avoids forcing moves that could lead to crashes or further setbacks for the team. This cautious strategy is part of his effort to recover from recent difficulties on track.
In addition to his NASCAR commitments, Larson spoke about the possibility of racing in the Australian Supercars Championship later in the year. While he finds the idea exciting, he acknowledged the logistical challenges, noting it would be even tougher than competing in an IndyCar event due to the time commitment and scheduling around the holiday season. He said, “I like to race, so it’d be fun. It’s just again a lot that goes into it, you know, logistically, it’s even tougher, probably than doing an Indy… you’d have to be down there for probably two or three weeks. And you know, it’s around holiday season, just fresh off our cup season. So yeah. I don’t know. I mean, maybe for sure, if not this year, you down the road another time”.
Larson has experience juggling multiple racing formats, having competed in the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series all within three days at events earlier this season. He also continues to compete successfully in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, with three wins from six starts in 2025, showcasing his versatility as a driver.
Despite his broad racing activities and successes, Larson is currently facing a challenging stretch after his crashes at the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. The Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville did not help his momentum, as he started 28th and witnessed multiple wrecks involving teammates and competitors during the race.
