Kyle Larson reacts to controversial wreck that saw NASCAR star suspended

Kyle Larson just failing to beat Bubba Wallace in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis was a huge weekend NASCAR storyline, but it was not the only one.

While Larson and Wallace were providing a gripping conclusion to that Cup Series thriller, there were headlines being made for the wrong reasons as well.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Saturday’s Xfinity Series showdown at IMS had provided a controversial flashpoint.

Austin Hill, driving his No.21 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, bumped Aric Almirola into the wall with nine of the 100 laps remaining. The incident ended Almirola’s day, while Hill continued with a damaged car but was held for five laps on pit road for reckless driving.

Afterwards, the two drivers had very different views on what had happened, with Almirola describing the contact as “definitely intentional” after undergoing medical checks.

Hill meanwhile protested his innocence during an expletive-laced tirade on team radio, which included him taking shots at NASCAR.

Most experts expected Austin to pay a heavy postrace price for his indiscretion, and on Tuesday he did just that with a one-race suspension being handed down while he will also forfeit his 21 playoff points. His team swiftly confirmed that it would not be appealing the decision.

Some of NASCAR’s biggest names have a pretty clear view on what went down Saturday, including 2021 Cup Series champion Larson. He was clearly very unimpressed by what he saw unfolding in front of him.

Captured on team radio, he was clearly shocked as he said simply: “Wow, that was extremely intentional.”

Similarly vocal was 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, who went in depth about it on his Happy Hour podcast. He believes penalties need to be stiffer and more immediate, citing also the high-profile incident involving Austin Cindric at COTA in March.

“When I look back at all this right rear hooking, we’ve seen what happened to Bubba Wallace when he hooked, Chase Elliott when he hooked in the right rear, NASCAR 100 percent dropped the ball on Austin Cindric at COTA.

“Where they’re going wrong - and I’ve said this before - when Austin Cindric hooked Ty Dillon at COTA and they did the exact same thing wrong at Indy, you should just park ‘em. Put ‘em in the garage, just park ‘em, day’s over. That’s the penalty.”

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