Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series championship aspirations were dealt a major blow during the first race of the Round of 12.
The American driver suffered a puncture after a coming together with the wall on lap 19 of the 267-lap race.
It appeared that he had got away unscathed from the incident, but his pace never recovered as he pushed on during the race.
It resulted in an underwhelming 26th place finish, as he dropped from first with a big lead, to fourth in the NASCAR championship standings.
How NASCAR’s ‘stupid’ diffuser ruined Kyle Larson’s race
From a 15-point lead in the standings, Larson now trails championship leader William Byron by 16 points.
A dramatic turnaround which piles the pressure on the 2021 champion, who has won the most races and claimed the most poles this year.
Speaking on the Lovecars On The Grid Podcast, Tiff Needell criticised NASCAR’s diffusers for thwarting Larson’s recovery.
READ MORE: This ridiculous NASCAR stat shows Kyle Larson’s dominance at 1.5-mile tracks
“The reason why he [Larson] had so much trouble getting the car up to speed again, but the aero diffuser on the back of NASCARs.
“If you get a puncture, your fins are scraping on the track. As soon as you lose all the pressure out of the tyre, which happens often, they have tyres blow out.
“If you then drive back at any speed at all, you scrape your stupid venturi’s on the ground. So you then have a car that doesn’t handle for the rest of the race. It’s an unnecessary bit of Science, do we need it?”
How Larson can turn his title hopes around
With the exception of the upcoming Talladega race, Larson has finished inside the top two in all remaining races over the last three years.
It represents an excellent opportunity for him to bounce back at some tracks which he is clearly comfortable at.
Another poor race and he might even end up at risk of failing to make the Round of 8, of which there are only two races left to ensure he makes the cut.
READ MORE: Why Clint Bowyer thinks Kansas Speedway offers ‘best product’ for NASCAR fans
Without such dramatic diffuser damage, he might have been able to make a push for the top 10 across the remainder of the Kansas race.
Talladega is going to be the most worrying part of the remainder of the season, with three top-10 finishes in just 19 races – so he might have to try something different.