Kyle Larson owns up late-race slip that handed Connor Zilisch Bristol O’Reilly Series win

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson recently competed in the Suburban Propane 300 held on April 11, 2026, at Bristol Motor Speedway. Later, during the post-race interview, Larson opened up about a heartbreaking finish despite dominating the race.

Larson piloted the #88 Chevy Camaro SS for JR Motorsports and qualified third for the main event. Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing driver William Sawalich secured the pole position. Later, the 2025 Cup Series champion took command of the pack and won both stage one and two of the 300-lap race.

Kyle Larson dominated the Bristol Motor Speedway race, leading 230 laps, but a late-race error changed the outcome for him. After the white flag was waved, Larson was chasing Connor Zilisch and lost control of his #88 Chevy. This gave Zilisch enough time to extend the gap between them and take his first win of the season.

Speaking on the same, the Hendrick Motorsports driver told the press the following:

“I needed Connor around the bottom, like one more corner maybe. And I could have gotten control of his outside, but, yeah, he moved up at the right time. I tried to move around a little bit for your lap and a half behind him, and it was just not going to work.”

“So needed him to make a mistake, but I made the mistake behind him, not that it probably would matter anyways, but I had fun, so I mean, obviously I wish I would have gotten the win, but oh no, it’s another fun Bristol race, and I got to work through traffic, a lot. Connor kept me really honest, you know, that last run too, so I had to pick through it really good,” he added.

Connor Zilisch crossed the finish line 0.703 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson at Bristol Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, Brent Crews secured the last podium place, followed by two more JRM drivers, Justin Allgaier and Carson Kvapil in P4 and P5.

“I was just a average mid-pack guy”: Kyle Larson got candid about his season’s first O’Reilly Series victory

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won his season’s first triumph at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the O’Reilly Series. Later, during the post-race interview, Larson shared his racing experience at the 1.5-mile tri-oval track.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver had a dominant qualifying session and began the race from the front row alongside pole sitter Sam Mayer. Later, Larson struggled a bit in the race but was able to lock in a P4 and P5 finish in stages one and two.

Later, in the final stage of the race, Kyle Larson took the lead and won the first race of the 2026 season. The #88 Chevy Camaro SS driver celebrated his triumph with his son. Following that, Larson told the press:

“Well, I was seeing a lot of racing on a windshield because I was just an average mid-pack guy for most of it. and it was good. It was really good racing.”

Kyle Larson crossed the finish line with a margin of 2.55 seconds over fellow Cup Series driver Christopher Bell. Meanwhile, Sheldon Creed secured the last podium finish, followed by Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith in fourth and fifth place.