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Toyota Drivers Making Out Well Thanks To Kyle Larson’s Penalties

By Asher Fair

SPARTA, KENTUCKY - JULY 08: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Snickers Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KENTUCKY - JULY 08: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Snickers Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Toyota, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Larson has been hit by NASCAR with loads of penalties for infractions as of late. Toyota drivers have been the drivers who have benefited the most because of it.

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Before we get going, let me address the elephant in the room. No, I don’t believe in the “Toyota runs NASCAR” narrative, and I certainly don’t believe that NASCAR is fixed for anyone. After all, Toyota drivers have just three of the 18 wins this year, and all three were by one driver.

I’m pretty sure if NASCAR favored Toyota, there would be more than one Toyota driver with a victory this season and Toyota drivers as a whole would have more than three victories. Oh, and Joe Gibbs Racing, the sport’s top Toyota team, would have won at least one race among its four drivers halfway through the 2017 season.

SPARTA, KY – JULY 08: Kyle Larson drove to 2nd place the hard way during the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. However, he was penalized after the race. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KY – JULY 08: Kyle Larson drove to 2nd place the hard way during the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2017 in Sparta, Kentucky. However, he was penalized after the race. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

That said, the constant penalties that Kyle Larson has experienced over the past week or so have benefited primarily Toyota drivers. Martin Truex Jr. in his #78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota had upwards of a 14-second lead over Larson and the rest of the field at Kentucky before overtime, yet it was Larson who failed post-race inspection after finishing in 2nd place to hand Truex Jr. a 34-point lead in the championship standings despite being down by one point to Larson following the race.

And guess who was sitting pretty in 3rd place in the standings and climbed closer toward the top 2 with Larson’s fall? That was Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch in his #18 Toyota. The gap from the top 2 to 3rd place had been in the 100-point range for quite some time. All it took was one 35-point penalty assessed to Kyle Larson to bring Busch within 66 points of the top 2.

LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kyle Larson appeared to have bounced back from his Kentucky penalty with the pole position for the Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. However, he was sent to the back of the starting grid with another penalty. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kyle Larson appeared to have bounced back from his Kentucky penalty with the pole position for the Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. However, he was sent to the back of the starting grid with another penalty. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Now at New Hampshire, NASCAR has cracked down on Larson again. He took the pole position for the Overton’s 301, but he failed post-qualifying inspection. Because of it, he was sent to the back of the field and will roll off in last place for the second consecutive race. Guess which driver slid to the pole position because of it? That was Martin Truex Jr. in his #78 Toyota.

So here we are 18 races into the 36-race season. Chevrolet drivers have eight wins, Ford drivers have seven wins and Toyota drivers have just three wins. Yet a Toyota driver sits on top of the standings and two Toyota drivers take up the top 3, with the Toyota in 3rd place closing in on a spot in the top 2. To say the least, that is quite interesting, especially since only one Toyota driver has won so far this season.

I’m all for NASCAR strictly enforcing the rules, as they have done lots of times so far this season. But let’s see here. ESPN has reported a total of seven different instances of major penalties, fines and suspensions so far this season. Of the seven, just one was assessed to a Toyota driver (Kyle Busch). That happened to be the only one that didn’t carry a points penalty.

Here are the top 10 in the current championship standings.

  1. Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Toyota — 709 points (-)
  2. Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet — 675 points (-34)
  3. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota — 609 points (-100)
  4. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford — 599 points (-110)
  5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet — 560 points (-149)
  6. Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet — 545 points (-164)
  7. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota — 538 points (-171)
  8. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford — 536 points (-173)
  9. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet — 519 points (-190)
  10. Clint Bowyer, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford — 495 points (-214)

Without penalties, here is how the top 10 in the current standings would look.

  1. Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet — 710 points (-)
  2. Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Toyota — 709 points (-1)
  3. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford — 609 points (-101)
  4. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota — 609 points (-101)
  5. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford — 571 points (-139)
  6. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet — 560 points (-150)
  7. Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet — 545 points (-165)
  8. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota — 538 points (-172)
  9. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet — 519 points (-191)
  10. Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford — 496 points (-214)

Feel free to draw your own conclusions from all of this information. But like I said, this article isn’t meant to convince you that NASCAR is rigged. However, it is quite evident that Kyle Larson’s recent infractions and the penalties resulting from them have benefited the Toyota drivers, particularly Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch, because of it. This very well may matter in the playoffs, especially if it continues. That is a fact.

Next: Kyle Larson Must Rise Above NASCAR's Crackdowns

Do you think Kyle Larson’s penalties have primarily benefited the Toyota drivers? 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.

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