It was tire issues that once again persisted over the weekend that would bring out the first caution of the day when John Hunter Nemechek would see his car go for a spin off the second turn when a tire let go.
Nemechek driving for the suspended Bubba Wallace was running in the fourth position at the time when the tire let go but it would also be the story the day prior in the truck event for Nemechek that would see the same issues happen.
This time however Nemechek would be able to keep the car mostly off the wall and on the lead lap.
However, prior to the caution it would be William Byron who started on the pole running just over 25 of the first laps of the event in that first position before Kyle Larson would use the high sideline to track him down to take over the lead for a handful of laps leading up to the caution.
Byron would once again take over the lead during the pit stops by a nose over Larson, but it was Larson with a jump on the restart that gave the lead back to Larson.
As the stage wore on Larson would continue to pace the field as Reddick made his way around Byron for the second spot. Larson gap would eventually grow to over six seconds and by the time the stage was over with it was nine seconds handing the stage win easily to Larson over Byron, Truex, Reddick and Austin Dillon.
Stage two would nearly go wire to wire green with little change up front until Briscoe would contact the wall just laps from the stage caution. After some confusion between the team and Briscoe they would finally take the car to the garage ending his day as the first playoff driver out of the event.
“I was really, really loose that run. We were really tight every other run. That green-flag run we tried to get really free on the other side of it and just started taking really hard. I was hanging on with everything I had. It felt like I was on ice.” Said Briscoe
“It is really frustrating to have it be something of my own doing. I am better than to be crashing by myself. It is really unfortunate. It makes our job easier next week I guess. We don’t have to worry about points. We gotta go to Martinsville and win.” Continued Briscoe
Larson would control much of the stage aside from just a few laps held by Byron in the beginning and Bell during a round of green flag stops. Larson would take home his second stage win of the day as the stage ended under caution over Truex, Byron, Blaney and Keselowski.
However, pit road would be where much of the action was in the stage when Reddick team dropped the jack on him without locking the front lug forcing him to back up and get the lug tightened. Then it was Hamlin leaving his box with race leader Larson coming in the two nearly collided on pit road.
The final stage would fire off with Larson once again well in control, but it would be William Byron this time having troubles early in the stage when he started losing spots reporting a tight handling car. Byron and Hamlin both locked in a tight battle for the fourth and final spot heading to Phoenix would also see Hamlin tag the wall but keep it going after losing several spots in the process.
Stage three would once again be slowed when Ryan Blaney would spin and loop his car on the access road returning to the track after making his pit stop.
However, William Byron struggles would continue just prior to the caution when he would pit from the 14th spot after losing nearly a dozen spots from the start of the stage would have issues during his stop having to back up then stalling the car trying to leave.
With 50 to go on the restart Denny Hamlin would power his No. 11 Toyota to the front over Truex and Chastain who attempted to give chase before Truex would wind his car back up and around Hamlin to regain the lead just a few short laps later.
Larson would once again go to work passing Hamlin first then cutting a nearly two second gap to Chastain in second all within about a dozen laps. Larson would attempt to cut the lead of Truex when with just 22 laps remaining Tyler Reddick would go for a spin down the back slowing the event once again.
While under the caution while coming in for stops Larson would get into the rear of Truex sending him spinning backwards into his box just avoiding the pit crew.
On the final restart of the day Larson would take the preferred line starting on the outside line which served him well all day. Chastain would attempt to get to Larson before washing up the track nearly getting into Hamlin.
Chastain would gather it back up after allowing Hamlin to get by momentarily before AJ Allmendinger would engage in a back-and-forth battle for second allowing Larson to scoot away in the lead.
Larson would maintain the dominance leading 199 of the lead taking home the victory in the Dixie Vodka 400 over Chastain, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski.
“Amazing race car. I knew that that last run was going to be short enough where I was going to be in some sort of trouble there, but thankfully AJ and Ross were racing hard behind me. But yeah, happy for our team, and we get to go race for an owner’s title in Phoenix in a couple weeks. We’re still technically not out of it. I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to get another championship.” Said Larson
“It’s hard to see down this pit road. I don’t know if fans and people realize, when you’ve got debris all over your windshield, the sun is shining straight in your face, it’s hard to see your stall. So, hate that that happened. He was definitely the one I was going to have to beat. He was really good that last long run, too.” Continued Larson when asked about the incident with Truex
The NASCAR Cup Series round of eight finale moves onto the oldest and shortest track on the circuit next Sunday, October 30th at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
