Kyle Larson has taken to social media following his win at Bristol Motor Speedway to address the growing criticism against Goodyear.

The NASCAR star, who led a staggering 462 of 500 laps and clinched his fifth victory of the season, felt compelled to speak out against the widespread backlash over tire wear issues.

The driver posted to social media:

“All this tire wear talk about Bristol got me wondering… Have we ever had a lot tire wear at Bristol besides the spring of 24? Eh, not much of any.

Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with the gladiator sword in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 21, 2024…


James Gilbert/Getty Images

“Have we seen great races there? Absolutely. Have we seen duds where Kyle Busch leads 300+ laps? Sure. From what I remember in my career before the Next Gen car was we had cars with some disparity that could run closer to one another in traffic and a wheel/tire combo that got hotter which in essence gave us less grip on the long run.

“I’ve ran with 900hp all the way down to 650hp or less potentially, high downforce, low downforce and everything in between. Bristol’s ALWAYS been tough to pass.

“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.

“I’m not saying I want tires to explode again but we’re trying to crutch this race car on short tracks with the tire and then blame Goodyear every week cause cars can’t pass.”

He criticized fans for unfairly blaming Goodyear week after week, adding:

“I don’t have the answer to fix what we currently have and neither do you but please stop blaming Goodyear. It’s not a tire problem.

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

NASCAR Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops Night Race Results

  1. Kyle Larson – Running
  2. Chase Elliott – Running
  3. Bubba Wallace – Running
  4. Denny Hamlin – Running
  5. Christopher Bell – Running
  6. Ryan Blaney – Running
  7. Ryan Preece – Running
  8. Chase Briscoe – Running
  9. Alex Bowman – Running
  10. Ross Chastain – Running
  11. Michael McDowell – Running
  12. Noah Gragson – Running
  13. Austin Cindric – Running
  14. Chris Buescher – Running
  15. Ty Gibbs – Running
  16. Zane Smith – Running
  17. William Byron – Running
  18. Carson Hocevar – Running
  19. Daniel Hemric – Running
  20. Tyler Reddick – Running
  21. Austin Dillon – Running
  22. Justin Haley – Running
  23. AJ Allmendinger – Running
  24. Martin Truex Jr. – Running
  25. Kyle Busch – Running
  26. Brad Keselowski – Running
  27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Running
  28. Joey Logano – Running
  29. Josh Berry – Running
  30. Erik Jones – Running
  31. Daniel Suárez – Running
  32. Todd Gilliland – Running
  33. John H. Nemechek – Running
  34. Josh Bilicki – Running
  35. Harrison Burton – Running
  36. Corey LaJoie – Accident
  37. Kaz Grala – Steering