Kyle Larson didn’t let anyone soon forget who dominates as he led all but 38 of 500 laps at the short track night race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Nashville on Saturday. The race was crucial for Larson because he knew he’d have to secure a fifth win for the 2024 season to remain in the Cup Series playoffs, and that’s precisely what he did. The domination continued throughout the race, holding off top 5 contenders Bubba Wallace, who is not a cup series contender, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell.
The win is the 28th of his NASCAR career and launches him into the twelfth round in the NASCAR Cup series playoffs. Meanwhile, top contenders Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex are out after upsets at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. It’s abundantly clear that Larson is in it to win it and will maintain dominance as he makes his way to the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas on the 29th.
Why This Win is Historic
In preparation for Saturday’s race at Bristol, Kyle Larson tested the waters during practice runs on Friday, ranking in the top 3 for the fastest speed at 123.897 behind Ryan Blaney in second at 124.018 and Ty Gibbs with the highest at 124.719 mph. Larson knew going into Saturday’s race that he would need to up the ante to maintain dominance at the last race in the Cup Series playoffs and successfully pushed himself into leading 462 of 500 laps.
Kyle Larson is the first driver since Cale Yaraborough’s victories in 1973 and 77 to lead the most laps at Bristol’s short-track race, outclassing Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon to make Hendrick Motorsports history. Once Kyle Larson grabbed hold after 38 laps, stopping him from reaching victory lane was hard. The win is something he’s been waiting for after a disappointing finish to the regular season in Darlington, where he led 263 of 367 laps, landing him in 4th.
He’ll be joining 11 other drivers to advance to the round of 12 to race at Kansas Motorspeedway this upcoming Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 on, and maybe he’ll even be able to pull another win. Those who won’t advance to the cup series include Gibbs, Truex Jr., Burton, and Keselowski after disappointing performances on Saturday.
Round of 12 Contenders
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Bass Pro Shops Night Race-Winner (3047 pts.)
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing (3032 pts.)
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing (3028 pts.)
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports (3022 pts.)
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske (3019 pts.)
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing (3015 pts.)
Chase Elliot, Hendrick Motorsports (3014 pts.)
Joey Logano, Team Penske (3012 pts.)
Austin Cindric, Team Penske (3008 pts.)
Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing (3006 pts.)
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports (3005 pts.)
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing (3005 pts.)
Saturday Driver Highlights
After the Bass Pro Shops night race this Saturday, it’s clear Kyle Larson has come out on top, but there’s room for optimism. Denny Hamlin expressed his feelings about becoming overpowered by Larson and how he initially thought he’d win the race. Hamlin went into the race six points shy of cutting into the round of 16 but was able to hold steady just long enough to come in fourth and secure his spot for Sunday’s round of 12.
Martin Truex Jr., retiring from the cup series at the end of the season, succumbed to a pit road speeding penalty that pushed him to the back of the lineup during Saturday’s race. The driver was highly disappointed with the turnout, considering he’d been running behind Kyle Larson in second place and was hopeful he’d come out in second or third, but it didn’t happen.
However, Hamlin may still have a chance after running only three cars behind Kyle Larson. Still, Daniel Suarez, who finished 31st, narrowly missed the cut, scoring 3006, a single over the minimum to qualify for the round of 12. The driver was unimpressed with his performance in Bristol and hopes Sunday at Kansas Motorspeedway will give him a chance to recover.
Final Thoughts
Kyle Larson is advancing to the round of 12 to race in the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas, but can he pull his sixth win this year? He claimed the victory in a little over 7 seconds, passing teammate and fellow round twelve contender Chase Elliot. It will be interesting to see what these two have in store for the upcoming race because it could quickly become a survival of the fittest when they battle it again on the track at the official start of the cup series season at Kansas Motorspeedway.
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