Kyle Larson's Giddy Revival: Thrilling Victory Back in Sin City
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 15: Kyle Larson ( 5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars. com Chevrolet) makes a mid race pit stop during the NASCAR, Motorsport | Credits- IMAGO / Icon Sportswire Kyle Larson walked into the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a chance to sweep the board. After taking the win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event on Saturday, Larson had his eyes on doing the same in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.
But by the end of the race, though, handling issues left him fighting an uphill battle against a pack of Toyotas circling around him. Starting fifth, by Lap 94, Larson had taken the lead after William Byron lined up behind the No. 5 car and pushed him ahead.
During the opening stretch, Larson paced the field for seven laps while keeping his car in the thick of the fight near the front. Larson logged 91 laps inside the top five and 94 laps inside the top ten, with an average running spot of 4. 01.
Stage 1 turned into a duel at the front. Christopher Bell surged ahead late in the stage to grab the stage win, leaving Larson to cross the line in second place. The next stage followed a similar end, this time with Byron taking control while Larson again came home second when the stage ended.
By the time the final laps played out, the No. 5 machine slipped down the order, and Larson crossed the line in seventh place after leading 62 laps during the race. Larson later walked through the turning point of his race that came between the end of Stage 2 and the start of Stage 3.