Kyle Larson led 462 of 500 laps at Bristol to take a stunning fifth victory of the 2024 NASCAR Cup season in Saturday night's Round of 16 playoff elimination race.
Only the top 10 drivers finished on the lead lap, as Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver Larson led more laps than any Bristol winner since Cale Yarborough nearly half a century ago in 1977.
While Hendrick team-mate Alex Bowman led the race from pole position, Larson quickly moved into the lead and never looked back. He swept the stages and went unchallenged as he set a blistering pace.
"We dominate a lot of races but we might not close them all out, so it feels really good to close one out here," said the 2021 Cup champion after taking his 28th career win.
"Just a phenomenal car, could kind of manage my stuff and then really pass some cars there at the end."
Chase Elliott was second, over seven seconds behind team-mate Larson at the finish.
Bubba Wallace (23XI Toyota) finished third, ahead of the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
Ryan Blaney (Penske Ford) recovered from an early exit at Watkins Glen to finish sixth ahead of Stewart-Haas Ford duo Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe, while Bowman ended up ninth as Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Chevrolet) rounded out the top 10.
JGR duo Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr., RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton in the Wood Brothers Ford were all eliminated from the playoffs.
The Round of 12 field will comprise Larson, Bell, Tyler Reddick (23XI), William Byron (Hendrick), Blaney, Hamlin, Elliott, Joey Logano (Penske), Austin Cindric (Penske), Daniel Suarez (Trackhouse), Bowman and Briscoe.
In the battle to advance, Suarez and Keselowski both fell off the lead lap early while Burton went behind the wall with power steering issues.
The decisive moment of the race came when Corey LaJoie crashed with about 170 laps to go, making his final start with Spire Motorsports before his unusual seat swap arrangement with Rick Ware Racing's Justin Haley.
The field filed down pit road for the final fuel stop, where the playoff picture dramatically changed. Briscoe had a slow stop, but Truex's night went up in smoke as a speeding penalty demoted the 2017 Cup champion from second to the rear of the field.
There was never another caution and he remained trapped deep in the back, eventually finishing 24th.
The battle for the final transfer spot came down to Suarez and Gibbs. While the Atlanta runner-up suffered through a dismal night, falling multiple laps down and rarely running inside the top-30, Gibbs was charging into the top-ten.
With 100 laps to go, only four points separated them. However, Gibbs faded as Suarez picked up a couple more spots, giving him enough breathing room to clinch a spot in the Round of 12.
NASCAR Cup Bristol Race Results
| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Pits | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. LarsonHendrick Motorsports | 5 | Chevrolet | 500 |
2:37'53.042 |
7 | |||
| 2 | C. ElliottHendrick Motorsports | 9 | Chevrolet | 500 |
+7.088 2:38'00.130 |
7.088 | 6 | ||
| 3 | B. Wallace23XI Racing | 23 | Toyota | 500 |
+9.729 2:38'02.771 |
2.641 | 6 | ||
| 4 | D. HamlinJoe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Toyota | 500 |
+10.088 2:38'03.130 |
0.359 | 6 | ||
| 5 | C. BellJoe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | 500 |
+10.349 2:38'03.391 |
0.261 | 6 | ||
| 6 | R. BlaneyTeam Penske | 12 | Ford | 500 |
+11.946 2:38'04.988 |
1.597 | 6 | ||
| 7 | R. PreeceStewart-Haas Racing | 41 | Ford | 500 |
+13.299 2:38'06.341 |
1.353 | 7 | ||
| 8 | C. BriscoeStewart-Haas Racing | 14 | Ford | 500 |
+13.791 2:38'06.833 |
0.492 | 6 | ||
| 9 | A. BowmanHendrick Motorsports | 48 | Chevrolet | 500 |
+14.077 2:38'07.119 |
0.286 | 6 | ||
| 10 | R. ChastainTrackHouse Racing | 1 | Chevrolet | 500 |
+14.735 2:38'07.777 |
0.658 | 6 | ||
| 11 | M. McDowellFront Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'54.129 |
1 Lap | 7 | ||
| 12 | N. GragsonStewart-Haas Racing | 10 | Ford | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'54.279 |
0.150 | 6 | ||
| 13 | A. CindricTeam Penske | 2 | Ford | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'57.245 |
2.966 | 6 | ||
| 14 | C. BuescherRFK Racing | 17 | Ford | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'58.553 |
1.308 | 6 | ||
| 15 |
T. GibbsJoe Gibbs Racing
|
54 | Toyota | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'58.789 |
0.236 | 6 | ||
| 16 |
Z. SmithSpire Motorsports
|
71 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'59.047 |
0.258 | 6 | ||
| 17 | W. ByronHendrick Motorsports | 24 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'59.378 |
0.331 | 6 | ||
| 18 |
C. HocevarSpire Motorsports
|
77 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:37'59.572 |
0.194 | 6 | ||
| 19 | D. HemricKaulig Racing | 31 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'00.415 |
0.843 | 6 | ||
| 20 | T. Reddick23XI Racing | 45 | Toyota | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'00.499 |
0.084 | 6 | ||
| 21 | A. DillonRichard Childress Racing | 3 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'01.321 |
0.822 | 6 | ||
| 22 | J. HaleyRick Ware Racing | 51 | Ford | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'02.140 |
0.819 | 7 | ||
| 23 | A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing | 16 | Chevrolet | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'02.719 |
0.579 | 6 | ||
| 24 | M. Truex JrJoe Gibbs Racing | 19 | Toyota | 499 |
+1 Lap 2:38'03.623 |
0.904 | 6 | ||
| 25 | K. BuschRichard Childress Racing | 8 | Chevrolet | 498 |
+2 Laps 2:38'04.396 |
1 Lap | 6 | ||
| 26 | B. KeselowskiRFK Racing | 6 | Ford | 497 |
+3 Laps 2:37'55.775 |
1 Lap | 6 | ||
| 27 | R. Stenhouse JrJTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Chevrolet | 497 |
+3 Laps 2:38'04.080 |
8.305 | 6 | ||
| 28 | J. LoganoTeam Penske | 22 | Ford | 496 |
+4 Laps 2:37'55.621 |
1 Lap | 7 | ||
| 29 | J. BerryStewart-Haas Racing | 4 | Ford | 496 |
+4 Laps 2:37'56.448 |
0.827 | 6 | ||
| 30 | E. JonesLegacy Motor Club | 43 | Toyota | 496 |
+4 Laps 2:37'58.263 |
1.815 | 7 | ||
| 31 | D. SuarezTrackHouse Racing | 99 | Chevrolet | 496 |
+4 Laps 2:37'59.399 |
1.136 | 6 | ||
| 32 | T. GillilandFront Row Motorsports | 38 | Ford | 496 |
+4 Laps 2:38'03.904 |
4.505 | 6 | ||
| 33 | J. NemechekLegacy Motor Club | 42 | Toyota | 491 |
+9 Laps 2:38'07.931 |
5 Laps | 7 | ||
| 34 | J. BilickiMBM | 66 | Ford | 467 |
+33 Laps 2:37'57.000 |
24 Laps | 10 | ||
| 35 | H. BurtonWood Brothers Racing | 21 | Ford | 422 |
+78 Laps 2:38'05.392 |
45 Laps | 6 | ||
| 36 | C. LajoieSpire Motorsports | 7 | Chevrolet | 330 |
+170 Laps 1:52'54.365 |
92 Laps | 6 | ||
| 37 | K. GralaRick Ware Racing | 15 | Ford | 296 |
+204 Laps 1:44'30.692 |
34 Laps |
