Kyle Larson commands challengers in Pennzoil 400
LAS VEGAS — Fifteen drivers took their turn at trying to win the Pennzoil 400 but only Kyle Larson held the trophy in victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas.
Larson led eight times for 181 laps, swept the stages and claimed his first victory of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Larson held Tyler Reddick off by 0.441 seconds at the end. Reddick closed to his bumper but, like all day, could not break through to pass him.
“We’ve had great battles all throughout the years. It’s cool to see another California kid from the Outlaw ranks up here,” Larson said about Reddick.
TOP-10 FINISHERS: Larson, Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, William Byron
Through the Field
Blaney was the highest-finishing Ford driver. Chastain held on for fourth after taking two tires before the restart with 27 laps to go.
Gragson earned his best career finish on a non-drafting track. It is also his second top-10 of the season, marking the first time he has had multiple top-10s in a Cup season.
Byron recovered from losing track position with a piece of debris in stage one and having issues on pit road to finish 10th.
Carson Hocevar finished 15th. Hocevar ran ninth to 15th much of the race, even with having to pit under green with a tire issue.
His Spire Motorsports teammate Corey LaJoie finished 32nd after placing seventh in stage one. LaJoie ran as high as fourth in stage one on speed alone.
Austin Dillon also had a fall from grace. Dillon finished 16th after placing seventh in stage two.
Richard Childress Racing teammate Kyle Busch finished 26th after placing fourth in stage one. Busch led 18 laps and was a contender throughout the day.
Bubba Wallace finished 35th, 13 laps down, after the crew finally loosened a stuck lugnut on pit road.
Pennzoil 400 Recap
While Larson dominated the race, he had to wait to take control. Through two quick cautions — for Christopher Bell having a lap 11 tire issue and Chris Buescher’s lap 28 wreck — Larson led just 10 laps.
MORE: Chris Buescher out after loose wheel, early wreck
It appeared William Byron was in line to challenge Larson. However, he caught a large trash bag on his hood that forced him to pit under green on lap 47.
Kyle Busch led laps 43-60 before Larson took control the final 20 laps in the stage.
STAGE ONE TOP-10: Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Corey LaJoie, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Christopher Bell
Hamlin took the lead from Truex for 16 laps before Larson took the helm again. Larson led through green-flag pit stops and appeared to have stage two in the bag until Bell had another tire issue and caused another caution on lap 158.
Alex Bowman fought teammate Larson for the stage two win. However, Bowman fell back to eighth while Larson claimed the stage win.
STAGE TWO TOP-10: Larson, Reddick, Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Truex, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Erik Jones
Lest we forget Tyler Reddick who finished second in the first two stages. Reddick kept Larson honest, not letting him get too far ahead throughout much of the race.
That continued in the final stage as Reddick caught up to Larson with some help from 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace. Wallace had nothing to lose as he fell 12 laps down trying to get a way-too-tight lugnut off and another lap for a pit penalty.
While Reddick fell to three seconds behind Larson during green-flag pit stops, he chopped down the gap lap-by-lap until lap 236.
Corey LaJoie spun in turn one and brought out the caution. That put Ross Chastain in front on lap 240 with two new tires.
Like they did all day, however, Larson took the lead and set sail with Reddick tracking him. Reddick still didn’t have enough, despite closing to his bumper, and had to settle for second behind Kyle Larson.
Kyle Larson’s All-Time Standings
Larson now stands alone at 36th on the all-time Cup wins list with 24 wins. At three wins, he is now tied with Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski for most Las Vegas wins among active Cup drivers.
Larson is now for second all-time in Vegas wins with Logano, Keselowski and Matt Kenseth, behind only Jimmie Johnson (four).
Next for the NASCAR Cup Series
The Shriners Children’s 500 is March 10 at Phoenix Raceway. The green flag flies just after 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Here are the points standings going into Phoenix:
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com