There is no denying the talent and racing ability of Kyle Larson. He has showcased it all over the world, but in NASCAR alone he is among the best in the Cup Series right now. That hasn't stopped Larson from making some questionable decisions late in races, that have cost him wins.
NBC's Kyle Petty has something to say about Larson's choices late in races.
The most recent example was last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Larson clearly had the dominant car late in the race but put himself in a bad spot on a late restart, which led to him losing control of his car and slamming hard into the wall.
Instead of a win and ticket to the round of eight, Larson now heads to Talladega in a hole, and his decision-making at superspeedway racing is subpar. With Larson having never won in such a race, it's hard to blame Petty for being critical about Larson's choices seemingly taking him out of contention for more race wins.
Petty has been really surprised by how much Larson has struggled in 2023, despite three wins. Petty addressed his concerns about Larson on a segment on NASCAR's YouTube page.
"I don't think Larson's giving away races, but I think he misses opportunities to win," Petty said. " I went back and looked, just this year. I'm going to look at my list. Phoenix with William Byron. Darlington with (Ross) Chastain. Pocono and Kansas with (Denny) Hamlin. Texas with Bubba (Wallace). Puts himself in a position to not win the race. He doesn't put himself in a position to win the race. There's a difference in that when you drive a race car. So, I look at it and I think, 'That's not a giveaway. That's just bad decision-making.'"
Petty isn't discrediting Larson's ability—he's already won a championship—but the NASCAR on NBC analyst would like to see Larson up his game a little bit and make fewer mistakes, especially during the pressure-cooking playoff hunt.
Afterall, performing in the clutch is what turns really good drivers into NASCAR legends.
