Posted September 19, 2021 by Jonathan Fjeld Cup

Inspection clear: Kyle Larson finally earns NASCAR Cup Series Bristol win

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 18: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Valvoline Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 18, 2021 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

In a wild final 100 laps in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, Kyle Larson went from being a hero to zero back to being a hero when the heroes zeroed in on dueling each other late.

Larson led 175 of 500 laps in Saturday’s race to earn his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol. Larson led 200+ laps in the 2017 and 2018 spring Bristol races but failed to win.

Larson passed Kevin Harvick for the lead with four laps to go after Chase Elliott blocked Harvick from lapping him.

“Yeah, that was an awesome race. It was so cool to be able to race there for the win,” Larson said. “Obviously, Harvick and Chase got together. Chase was upset and kind of held him up. It got Harvick having to move around and use his tires up off the bottom.

Harvick made contact with Chase Elliott while racing him for the lead on Lap 464. Elliott had to pit for a blown left-front tire and tried to return the favor to Harvick. However, Elliott ultimately retaliated by blocking Harvick’s lane as a lap car, which led to Larson passing Harvick for the lead.

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 18: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 Hooters Chevrolet, (L) and Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Subway Delivery Ford, have a heated conversation after an incident late in the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 18, 2021 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

“I started to get some dive-ins working off of two, got a big run, decided to pull the trigger, slide him, squeeze him a little bit and then he had me jacked up down the frontstretch. It was wild,” Larson said.

Larson’s win is his sixth of the 2021 season. He holds a 30-point lead over Martin Truex Jr., entering the Round of 12-opening South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN; Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Larson won the March Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.