FONTANA, Calif. -- Kyle Larson walked away from a scary crash early in Sunday's race at Auto Club Speedway.
On lap 47, Larson suddenly got loose on the backstretch – apparently due to a blown tire -- and turned right into the outside wall. He then bounced off it and went skidding toward the inside wall at full speed, about 180 mph.
The No. 42 car hit head on, but the contact was so hard that all four tires got off the ground as Larson’s car spun around in the air. Larson told his team he was OK, though he took a few moments to collect himself before climbing out of the car.
After spending several minutes in the infield care center, Larson emerged and said he was glad he was OK, citing it was one of the hardest hits he had had during his career. He also said he believed when he lost a tire and hit the outside wall, a brake line may have been cut because when he hit the brakes as his car careened toward the interior wall, the pedal went all the way to the floor.
Auto Club Speedway has increased its SAFER barrier coverage since Denny Hamlin broke his back at the racetrack in 2013 after hitting an unprotected wall.
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