Kyle Larson took a shot at John Hunter Nemechek after their run-in triggered a dicey four-wide situation at Iowa Speedway. The incident left Larson dead last on the running order.
Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 was a promising bout for Larson, who qualified second and finished third in Stage 1. On lap 148, however, everything went downhill when he got shuffled up the track by Nemechek and fell into a four-wide situation involving his teammate, Alex Bowman.
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The two made contact and pinched the outside walls, causing Bowman to park his car, while Larson dropped down 15 laps. NASCAR reporter Steven Taranto shared Larson’s radio exchange after the incident.
John Hunter Nemechek went on to finish inside the top-20, and Ty Gibbs won the race with just 20 laps in the lead. William Byron was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to land a top-10 finish.
Kyle Larson dropped two spots in the standings and rounded out the top-10. The reigning champion is yet to find a win in over a year. He’s had a couple of podium places and a decent four-race streak inside the top-5.
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Otherwise, the No.5 driver remains a poor bet to retain his title.
Kyle Larson hints at potential retirement after milestone age
Aug 9, 2026; Newton, Iowa, USA; Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (5) relaxes before the start of the IOWA CORN 350 POWERED BY ETHANOL at Iowa Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Kyle Larson has been in the sport since 2013 and is now a two-time Cup Series champion. The 34-year-old has also won three Knoxville Nationals, three Chili Bowls and a Kings Royal with sprint cars.
He’d previously expressed an interest in retiring from the Cup Series and pursuing sprint cars full-time. A few years down the line, Larson now holds a different view.
“I started saying this last year, but 40 is my next milestone. I want to get there and then evaluate if I want to keep going or be done. It all depends on where my kids are in their lives and interests,” he said via Jayski.
“I just don’t know what a championship would add to my career so I’m just not into the idea now. And like I said, I think my kids are going to be busy doing their own racing by that time, so do I really want to commit to an 80-to-90 race schedule?…..But you never know, and six or seven years down the road, things might change,” Larson added.
Next up, Kyle Larson will compete in the highly coveted Knoxville Nationals, though he won’t show up for the Saturday night feature race. The Cup Series has a Saturday night race at Richmond, so Larson will run the Thursday prelims alone.
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