HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe are out of Sunday’s opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway after a violent crash on lap 56.
Running third, Larson’s car suddenly snapped around in Turn Two and he pancaked the inside wall, also claiming Briscoe – who couldn’t avoid the mess.
Both drivers were checked and released from the infield care center.
Larson wasn’t exactly sure what happened. Originally radioing up to his team, he thought it could’ve been tire-related. But upon addressing the media, he believed it was just an overcorrection.
“I’m not really sure what caused it. I was actually sort of tight and loaded in the corner,” he said. “And then I was pretty far around the corner, and it just stepped out. I don’t know. It all just happened really fast.
“I was getting tighter and tighter. So yeah, it just caught me way off guard. I was never once loose, even in that corner. And then, it just started stepping out. I corrected it and overcorrected it, I guess.”
Running 14th at the time, Briscoe piled into the back of Larson’s No. 5 machine as he slid back down the track.
“I was watching my outside getting into one because somebody kept trying to get to my outside and was probably a little late just trying to see [Larson] wrecking,” Briscoe said. “I didn’t expect anybody to wreck because they weren’t really two-wide, and then I saw the smoke and tried slowing down.
“I knew he was coming down the racetrack and just kept trying to feed the thing left and slow it down and I couldn’t get left quick enough and then he kind of started sliding back down the track at the very last minute, so I tried to turn back right to avoid him and just KO’d him.
“My private area hurt pretty bad at first, just when I hit it was a big hit, but, other than that, I’m totally good. My head, everything feels fine. I’m glad my ankles didn’t get messed up. The brake pedal and everything went through the floorboard, so I’m thankful that I’m alright, for sure.”
Both fighting for the championship, the two drivers entered the playoffs under different circumstances. Despite finishing a point short of Tyler Reddick for the regular-season title, Larson bagged 40 playoff points – the most among all drivers after four wins.
On the other hand, Briscoe – who just won his way in last week – has just five playoff points and started the Round of 16 as the No. 13 seed.
After Joey Logano ultimately won, that put Larson 15 points above the cutline.
“We’ll see how the rest of the race plays out and where the points shake out,” Larson said. “I have no idea where I sit currently, but I’ll for sure be much closer.
“Go onto Watkins Glen and try to have a good day.”
For Briscoe, he’s 20 points below the cutline with Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway remaining in the opening round.
“We tested [at Bristol] about a month-and-a-half ago, and then the road courses we’ve always been really good,” Briscoe said. “With the fall off that they’re talking about at Watkins Glen, I think we’re gonna be in good shape. The slick, wore-out, where we’re slipping and sliding around is typically when we’re our strongest, so I feel like we can win any of the two.
“I’m excited for the challenge … It’s unfortunate that we dug ourselves in a big hole, but if there was two racetracks out of the 10, those are two of the ones that I would definitely pick to go run in a must-win situation, so hopefully we can do it.”