The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion is positioning himself in familiar territory. On Sunday, Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in thrilling fashion after holding off a hard-charging Christopher Bell at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, is officially the first driver locked into the Cup Series’ Championship 4 and guaranteed a shot at a championship at Phoenix. This comes after sweeping both stages in the South Point 400 and nearly crashing towards the end of Stage 2. But his victory was nearly spoiled as Bell in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry TRD came just a few feet away from stealing the race for himself.
“I could see him coming in my mirror, for sure,” said Larson. “Thankfully, Christopher always races extremely clean. It could have gotten crazier than it did coming to the start-finish line, so thank you to him for racing with respect there.”
Up until the final stretch, the No. 5 car was nothing short of dominant. Larson led almost half the laps on Sunday with 133; occupying the lead seven different times throughout the race. His laps led pushed him to 1,031 total laps out front on the season which is the most in the Cup Series. Now, Larson and his team get to put some extra attention onto Phoenix as they’ve secured their spot to race for a title.
“This is really cool to get to race for the championship in a few weeks, and (I’m) really glad I don’t have to stress these next two races.”
“I don’t know what else I could have done,” said Bell after finishing second. “I felt like that was my moment to make the (Championship) 4 and didn’t quite capture it”.
Bell, who started from the pole and led 61 laps, now finds himself fifth in the Cup Series Playoff standings and three points below the playoff cutline.
“We’re not out of it by any means, but it would have been nice to lock in.”
It was a mostly successful day for the other remaining playoff drivers. Each finished the race inside the top-10 apart from Ryan Blaney, who was disqualified after failing post-race inspection due to a left-front shock not meeting the overall specified length by NASCAR. And although he salvaged a tenth-place finish, Chris Buescher was the only playoff driver that failed to garner any additional points through the first two stages of the race.
The Cup Series Playoff Standings after the South Point 400 are as follows:
Rank |
Driver |
+ / – Cutoff |
1 |
Kyle Larson (P) |
*WIN* |
2 |
William Byron (P) |
+11 |
3 |
Denny Hamlin (P) |
+4 |
4 |
Martin Truex Jr. (P) |
+3 |
5 |
Christopher Bell (P) |
-3 |
6 |
Tyler Reddick (P) |
-15 |
7 |
Chris Buescher (P) |
-23 |
8 |
Ryan Blaney (P) |
-56 |
The NASCAR Xfinity Series saw a first-time winner and non-playoff driver, Riley Herbst, take the checkered flag at his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. The Alsco Uniforms 302 also lent itself to solid days for the playoff field as all finished in the top-10 except for Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith.
The Xfinity Series Playoff Standings after the Alsco Uniforms 302 are as follows:
Rank |
Driver |
+ / – Cutoff |
1 |
John Hunter Nemechek (P) |
+47 |
2 |
Justin Allgaier (P) |
+21 |
3 |
Austin Hill (P) |
+19 |
4 |
Cole Custer (P) |
+15 |
5 |
Chandler Smith (P) |
-15 |
6 |
Sam Mayer (P) |
-16 |
7 |
Sammy Smith (P) |
-35 |
8 |
Sheldon Creed (P) |
-41 |
Both series will continue to paint their playoff picture as NASCAR heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for a triple-header weekend. Racing begins on Saturday, Oct. 21, as the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series caps off its Round of 8 and sets its Championship 4 lineup with the Baptist Health 200 at Noon EDT/9 a.m. MST. Then, the Xfinity Series will take on the fast 1.5-mile oval later in the day with the Contender Boats 300 at 3 p.m. EDT/Noon MST. Finally, the Cup Series inches closer to the season’s end in the 4Ever 400 Presented by Mobil 1 on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m. EDT/ 11:30 a.m. MST.
NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Nov. 3-5
Only a limited number of tickets remain available for the 2023 NASCAR Championship Weekend, Nov. 3-5. The action on Friday, Nov. 3, includes the ARCA Menards Series West championship race, the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100, and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race. On Saturday, Nov. 4, the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race caps a day that also includes NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying.
And then on Sunday, Nov. 5, following a pre-race concert by Diplo presents Thomas Wesley, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race will close the season in exciting fashion. Grandstand seats sold out for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race in June, but a select number of infield general admission, FanShield Infield Experience and hillside tickets remain. Grandstand seats are also going fast for Friday and Saturday’s action, so fans are encouraged to visit www.phoenixraceway.com to secure their seats while supplies last.
NASCAR PR
