Kyle Larson came into Sonoma needing a miracle. The defending race winner sat 19 points behind teammate William Byron in the championship hunt, and with Byron running like he’s got something to prove, Larson’s window for a comeback was getting smaller by the race. What happened next left his fans wondering if that window just slammed shut.
Why Did Kyle Larson’s Sonoma Race Start So Poorly?
Kyle Larson hasn’t been in top form lately in the 2025 season. While he has managed three top 10s in the last six races, he hasn’t led a single lap in those races. The Sonoma race offered an opportunity to bounce back and maybe take the points lead, now that the regular season championship is in question.
However, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver did not have the best start to his race, leaving fans frustrated.
Entering the 1.99-mile road course, Larson was third in the points table, 19 points behind points leader and teammate William Byron. While 19 points isn’t a lot, Byron has been in top form, so trying to take that lead from him in Sonoma wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.
Still, Larson managed to get a P11 start in qualifying, and coming in as the track’s defending winner, fans hoped for him to get a good finish in the race. However, things went south quickly after the race was green-flagged. Rather than climbing positions, the No. 5 dropped down, having some car troubles.
Read More: ‘Haven’t Been as Sharp’ – Kevin Harvick Digs Into the Quiet Collapse of Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Momentum
The No. 5 team wrote in an X post, “Larson slipping back in the runner order, Crew Chief Cliff Daniels getting a plan together to fix up their No. 5 @HendrickCars Chevy on a pit stop. Currently 19th.” [CAN’T VERIFY — NEED TO MANUALLY VERIFY | Google: | StatMuse: | Perplexity: ]
Larson slipping back in the runner order, Crew Chief Cliff Daniels getting a plan together to fix up their No. 5 @HendrickCars Chevy on a pit stop. Currently 19th.
— No. 5 Team (@Hendrick5Team) July 13, 2025
How Did Fans React to Larson’s Early Struggles?
Naturally, this left fans enraged, as Larson needed to finish better than Byron to close the points gap. But Byron ran in the top five in the race, while Larson dropped back.
One angry fan wrote, “Sebastian is correct. This is garbage.” Another fan echoing the same emotion wrote, “Pack it up. Car’s junk. Just zero winning speed since Charlotte.” This rings true, as the last time Larson led laps was seven races ago at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Attempting the double, Larson had a P2 start to the race and led 34 laps before getting into a wreck and getting a DNF.
Some fans even sympathized with Larson as he continues to be in this slump. One fan wrote, “Looks like Kyle Larson is really struggling right now.” Another fan wrote, “Larson is terrible today, already going to the back.” Even Larson recently admitted to not being in top form lately.
In the pre-race interview, he said, “Yeah, it’s really tight. Hopefully, we can kind of get back on a run of being consistent and getting stage points. I feel like, you know, we’ve still kind of been consistent. We just haven’t finished as high as we have early in the year, and then we’ve been missing out on stage points.”
If things continue as they are in the Sonoma race, Larson could fall further back in the points standings. One disappointed fan already eyeing this possibility wrote, “Someone teach Larson how to drive.”
Larson tried to win Stage 2 over Shane van Gisbergen, who took back the lead in 17 seconds after a slight contact. But in the end, it’s a road course, so anything can happen. Only time will tell where Larson finishes in the race.
