A driver can spend an entire race praising his team’s execution, only for frustration to boil over when the car refuses to cooperate. Before qualifying at Phoenix, Kyle Larson credited Hendrick Motorsports for finding ways to deliver strong finishes even when his No. 5 Chevrolet lacked outright speed. But once the race got underway, things took a frustrating turn. A disappointing opening half left Larson fighting his equipment and searching for answers, and his patience eventually wore thin. Over the radio, the reigning champion finally unleashed a furious, profanity-filled rant at his crew.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“I don’t know. Nothing is good, and even when it feels good, they’re way f***ing faster. This f***ing 77 is light years faster than me, and I know I’m probably not the best short track guy, but I feel like I’m f***ing maximizing what I got,” a visibly frustrated Kyle Larson told his Hendrick Motorsports crew over the radio.
Larson entered Phoenix hoping to turn his team’s consistent finishes into another strong result, but the opening stages quickly became a struggle. After qualifying 22nd for the Freeway Insurance 500, the No. 5 Chevrolet driver had little room to make progress.
His car had gotten loose between Turns 1 and 2 during qualifying, leaving him deep in the field, and the race offered few immediate signs of improvement. Trapped in traffic, Larson struggled to find speed to reach the front and spent several laps running a lap down while his closest championship rivals worked their way forward.
Stage 1 brought little relief. Larson finished outside the top 10 and failed to collect stage points, while other title contenders took advantage of the opportunity to strengthen their positions. For a driver trying to protect his championship advantage, the lack of speed was becoming increasingly concerning. His earlier confidence in the team’s ability to execute well despite a lack of outright pace was now being tested by a car that seemed unable to match the competition.
Stage 2 followed much the same pattern, with Larson still searching for grip and speed. A comparison shared by NASCAR analyst Bozi Tatarevic on X highlighted just how unusual the No. 5’s pace looked. From laps 69 through 119, Larson and Cody Ware’s No. 51 Chevrolet recorded remarkably similar lap times after a restart. Their times trended upward together, with Ware occasionally matching or briefly exceeding Larson.
The comparison stood out because of the expected performance gap between Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR’s championship-caliber organizations, and Ware’s smaller operation. While lap times can be affected by traffic, tire wear, track position and differing race circumstances, the overlap raised questions about why Larson’s car was struggling to separate itself from a lower-tier entry.
Crew chief Cliff Daniels tried to pinpoint the issue during a radio exchange, asking Larson about the right-side grip, air-pressure balance and how the tires were coming in. Larson’s response was as blunt as his earlier complaint.
“I don’t know. I mean, it didn’t feel completely like a**, but I was completely like a**.”
The exchange captured the frustration building inside the No. 5 camp. Larson was not simply complaining about losing time to faster cars. He was struggling to identify a clear improvement in the handling, leaving Daniels and the crew with limited feedback to work from as they tried to find a solution.
By the end of Stage 2, Larson was again outside the top 10 and had failed to score a single stage point. That left him vulnerable as the championship battle tightened around him. Denny Hamlin sat just 18 points back, while Christopher Bell was within 20, and Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano had also been cutting into their deficits.
Larson’s Phoenix struggles put more pressure on the No. 5 team to find speed before the race slipped further away. With his rivals closing in, the frustrated radio messages reflected a difficult day for the championship leader and a growing need for answers.