NASCAR Star Kyle Larson Says Fans Must ‘Temper Your Expectations’ After Awful Bristol Race

Getty Image

Despite being one of the series’ most popular drivers, Kyle Larson drew the ire of NASCAR fans on Monday when he called them out for criticizing his win at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Just 27.2 percent of fans said Larson’s victory, which saw him lead 462 of a possible 500 laps, was a good race in a poll conducted by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic.

Fans slammed Larson, saying that the driver shouldn’t be telling fans what they should or should enjoy.

But Larson didn’t back away from his statement. Instead, he doubled down on Tuesday, saying that fans need to “temper your expectations” while also criticizing NASCAR for its current generation of car.

“Bristol’s ALWAYS been tough to pass,” Larson said on Twitter. “Speed on pit road and most likely there’s a good chance you’re going a lap down on the next run. That’s the way it is and has been for a very long time. We had more natural cautions from wrecks because cars could run closer and we never quite made it a full fuel run because eventually someone’s RF tire would explode from overheating.”

He then said that Goodyear, NASCAR’s tire supplier, often acts as a shield for the series. He noted that the current car design means that drivers are typically racing at the same speed, making passing hard.

But he didn’t stop there, and that’s where he may have gotten himself into trouble. Larson called out fans for never having raced at Bristol.

“And also, have any of you ran around Bristol with or without PJ1? Or resin for that matter,” he wrote. “Yeah that’s right… so 🤐. Temper your expectations. We’re driving spec race cars.”

Telling fans they should expect a bad product is a bold move. Let’s see how that works out for Larson and the series in the long run!