Kyle Larson breaks down close loss to Denny Hamlin at Dover: ‘Just couldn’t really do anything’

Kyle Larson fell short of winning the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, coming in second place behind Denny Hamlin. After the race, Larson spoke to Jamie Little of Fox Sports about not being able to pass Hamlin to earn the victory.

“I went late in the zone and Martin [Truex Jr.] was trying to time it behind me and hit me right when I wanted to go, Larson said. “I got a lot of wheel spin and [Hamlin] was able to outrace me in the one.” Larson also mentioned that Hamlin’s car “was really good on the short runs. It’s so easy to air block, not that he was doing anything dirty or anything like that. It’s just so easy as the leader, especially in a place like this to shut off the air on the guys behind you.

“I knew when I got within three car lengths, he was going to start moving around,” Larson added. “I just couldn’t really do anything. I was trying all sorts of different angles and speeds and all that. Nothing could generate enough speed to get close enough to do anything.”

Larson continued: “That was a bummer but a great day for HendrickCars.com, Chevy team. Started 21st, drove up to sixth in the first stage and I got another stage win. Good points day, but we would have loved to get a win. Always fast here at Dover and we need to be a little better on the restarts.”

Kyle Larson preparing for Indy500

As Larson mentioned, it was a successful day for him and his team, winning a state and finishing in the top five. Heading into Sunday’s race, Larson was in first place in the standings and should stay in the position for next week.

While Larson continues to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series he is set to race in thhis year’s Indianapolis 500 on May 26. Earlier this month, the 2021 NASCAR Cuper Series Champion had his first official Indy 500 test session and shared how it felt being behind the wheel.

“I’m not taking too much from the [testing] day, but it was good to get out there and see what an IndyCar looked like from behind and see what an IndyCar coming in my mirror looks like,” Larson said.

“And feeling a little bit of dirty air, coming down pit lane with cars on pit lane and people on pit lane — that was more good than just driving the car. It’s all the other little details that I just need to get the hang of before I think I’m really comfortable. And I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I’m really comfortable before we get to the race.”

On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this report.