Kyle Larson Must Rise Above NASCAR’s Crackdowns

LOUDON, NH - JULY 14: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - JULY 14: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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NASCAR has not hesitated to throw down the hammer on the sport’s top driver over the week or so, which will make it tougher for Kyle Larson to win this year’s championship if it continues.

The #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet driven by Kyle Larson has been in hot water with NASCAR over the past week or so. After starting in 40th place because he missed qualifying due to inspection problems at Kentucky, Larson bounced back and drove to the front of the field. Then, he was giving a speeding penalty that dropped him to the back of the field.

He bounced back once again and went on to race to the front of the field before ultimately finishing in 2nd place. Here’s how he was rewarded by NASCAR for his great driving: a 35-point post-race penalty that stripped him of his one-point lead in the championship standings over Martin Truex Jr. and closed the gap between the top 2 drivers and Kyle Busch in 3rd place.

So after bouncing back from missing qualifying at Kentucky, Larson was penalized during the race. And then after bouncing back again, he was penalized after the race. At New Hampshire, it appeared as though he had bounced back once again, as he took the pole position for the race with the fastest speed in qualifying, as you can see below by the image.

LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, and his team pose with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, and his team pose with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

However, all that image really illustrates now is how fun the party is for the 39th place qualifier in NASCAR these days. Yep, that’s right. Once again, NASCAR has knocked Kyle Larson down, as he somehow failed post-qualifying inspection despite being allowed to qualify and was shuffled to the back of the starting grid.

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The guy can’t catch a break, yet here he is as a legitimate championship contender, and perhaps the favorite to win the title. He has two victories this season and another six 2nd place finishes to go along with the wins. The question is, how long will he be able to withstand NASCAR knocking him down as they have done consistently over the course of the past week? How much longer will he be able to bounce back if he is continuously knocked down?

In order to seriously contend for this season’s championship, Larson needs to rise above these crackdowns. I’m all for NASCAR strictly enforcing the rules, as they have done lots of times so far this season. But we’re literally talking four blows to Larson in under a week’s time, and both a 2nd place finish and 1st place qualifying effort have essentially been wiped off the face of the earth. If he can rise about these crackdowns, the rest of the field needs to be prepared.

Next: Five Possible Landing Spots For NASCAR's Best Driver in 2018

Do you think Kyle Larson can shake off the late run-ins with the rule book that his #42 Chevrolet has had to go on to win his first career Cup Series championship? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.