Wet tire, yes. After a day that saw rain around the Richmond area coming and going with NASCAR attempting to dry the track throughout the daytime came to slap on wet weather tires to the car and get racing underway.
After a quick run by the drying equipment once the cars rolled Kyle Larson would take off into turn one and quickly be caught and passed by Elliott who had started in the second spot leading the first green flag of the night on the wet track.
Elliott’s lead however wouldn’t last as Larson would gather it back up taking the lead back just five laps into the event just as the field behind them would be racing three and four wide in some parts of the field.
After 30 quick laps NASCAR would throw a competition caution, freezing the field to allow teams to change the tires back from the wet set to the standard slick racing tires.
On the restart a battle for the lead would ensue between Larson and Wallace who would spend nearly 11 laps door to door before Larson would finally prevail with the lead.
With five laps remaining in the stage Josh Berry and Daniel Suarez would battle down the front as Berry would get into the No. 99 machine sending Suarez spinning through turn one trying to save it before losing it off turn two forcing the second caution of the night to display.
Stage one would end under the caution handing the opening stage win over to Larson followed by Wallace, Bowman, Truex, and Logano.
Stage two would be slowed when Busch would make contact with the wall off turn two immediately proclaiming “aero tight, ungodly aero tight”.
The remainder of stage two would go caution free with Martin Truex Jr. taking the second stage win over Berry, Logano, Larson, and Hamlin.
With laps winding down and the final stop of the night underway Truex would pit from the lead with Larson and others in tow. However, Larson would beat Truex off pit road in the race for the lead when pit stops would cycle through.
Truex wouldn’t be done with Larson when he would chase down the No. 5 machine just laps later taking back the position for the lead.
The lead Truex had built up following the pit stops and getting around Larson would soon begin to erase as the No. 19 machine would begin working very heavy traffic heading into the final 20 laps. Logano would be the closest car to him more than six seconds back, closing within four-tenths of a second with five laps to go before growing once again as Truex would close in on the white flag.
As Truex would be within a half lap of the white flag, Wallace would get into the rear of Larson car, sending him spinning down the front through the ballfield to bring out the caution, setting up a NASCAR overtime for the first time in the 2024 season.
With everyone on pit road Hamlin would go from third prior to the caution beating Truex off pit road to lead the field back to green for the final time of the night for a shootout to the finish.
Hamlin would make the jump on the restart with Truex door to door trying to use the high line to get around. Truex, unable to get around, would fall back into the clutches of both Logano and Larson with Logano getting around just as the white flag would be displayed.
Truex would then be under fire by Larson as the two would beat through the final turns to the checkered flag and once again after the race on the cool down lap.
But when it was all over Virginia’s own Denny Hamlin would take home the checkered flag and the win over Logano by a mere .269 of second followed by Larson, Truex, and Elliott.
The NASCAR Cup Series now moves onto Martinsville Speedway next Sunday, April 7th at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1 for the Cook Out 400.
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