Larson's bad break changes playoffs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Larson felt a cylinder drop, and then his engine failed. With a puff of smoke, his season was essentially ended and the playoffs took on a completely different look.

Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite to win NASCAR's championship, but if one driver had shown this season that he can beat Truex, it was Larson. He has been the best of the non-Toyota drivers this season, and if he could have made it to NASCAR's finale, he'd have had a head-to-head shot at stopping Truex.

But making it through NASCAR's elimination rounds is a whole lot harder than it looks on paper, and Larson was the surprise victim Sunday at Kansas Speedway. He was at a loss for words after the engine failure.

“I keep saying everything sucks. I don't really know how to answer these (questions) because it's the same answer for every question,” he said. “Either way you go about it, it stinks. A part of me, I guess, will maybe be thankful that it wasn't on my doing.”

No, it wasn't his doing, it was a broken part that changed these playoffs. Just one of them racing deals.

It was heartbreaking for the entire Chip Ganassi Racing organization, which landed both of its cars in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Both Larson and Jamie McMurray were eliminated in the first round last season, but this season the team had every reason to believe Larson would be racing for the title at Homestead next month.

His four victories are tied with Kyle Busch (like Truex, a Toyota driver) for second in the Cup Series. But now Larson is out of the picture — McMurray was eliminated Sunday, too — and Truex's path got a little easier.

Right now, this is Truex's title to lose. His win Sunday was his seventh of the season and he leads nearly every statistical category. But, as Larson learned the hard way, bad breaks and bad luck can ruin an entire season.

“Freak things happen in every sport,” Larson said. “In the new playoff format era, not always does the best team win. Not saying we are the best team, but we have been one of the contenders all season long. We have been consistent and just now got bit.”

That bite knocked off a true title contender and opened the door for others. If someone can take down Truex, they earned it, too.