Denny Hamlin’s race from the back of the grid to victory lane was one of the key stories to come out of Michigan, but another aspect of the NASCAR Cup Series event came under scrutiny as well. 

With 11 cautions, the 2026 running of the Michigan race saw a record number of cautions, surpassing the previous 10-caution record set in 2006. A total of 54 laps were run under caution, meaning a total of 108 miles if the 400-mile race was lost to caution. 

While Hamlin’s race was defined by the restarts he made after each caution, Kyle Larson was left frustrated after the race. Speaking with SiriusXM about driving under caution, not just at Michigan but at various other races as well.

“I feel like we’ve been running under caution so much. Feels like we spent half the races under yellow, which has been frustrating, but would like to get some green flag racing in,” said Larson. 

Larson’s race was hampered as the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet was one of nine cars involved in the Lap 83 restart when Carson Hocevar touched the rear of Joh Hunter Nemechek’s car, causing chaos and more laps under caution. 

NASCAR was previously under the pump for extended stage break cautions that cut into not just stage lengths but also racing miles. But most of the cautions in Michigan were caused by incidents involving drivers going out or by massive crashes like the one involving Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell. 

Larson’s complaints stem from the frustration of not being able to race in Green and White conditions, making it that much harder to build momentum.

Kyle Larson Unbothered by 39-Race Drought

Kyle Larson finished fourth in Michigan, the track where he got his first NASCAR Cup series victory, and is currently on his longest winless streak since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021.

But the reigning champion is not worried about the streak because he is looking at the same facet of his racing that got him the Cup series in 2025 – consistency. Larson, who currently sits sixth in the standings, said:

“We’ve had less opportunities to win just because the Toyota cars are so fast. We’re doing a good job with what we have. We’re sixth in points, we’re not too far out of fourth.”

Larson has the most stage points at 133 and is just 29 points off overall over his HMS teammate Chase Elliott in fourth. The two-time and reigning Cup Series champion has led a whopping 573 laps, second only to Denny Hamlin, who has led 796.

Talking about his lack of wins, the No. 5 Chevrolet driver said:

“Sure, I want to be winning… but I’m not going to stress myself about it either. We’re running inside the top 10. I don’t really feel like we’re inside a slump at the moment.”

Kyle Larson knows consistency is key, but with his teammate Chase Elliott having won two races this season, the defending champion would definitely want to get his car to victory lane soon.

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Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Yash Kotak