Kyle Larson makes Bristol his playground as Playoff hopes collapse for Gibbs and Truex

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 21: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 21, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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Kyle Larson didn’t just win at Bristol Saturday night; he turned the competition into spectators and gave them a front-row seat to his own masterclass.

Larson dominated, leading more laps than any driver in Hendrick Motorsports history and coasting to a whopping seven-second victory at the Tennessee short track. This marked his fifth win of the season, the 28th of his career, and his second time taking Bristol’s famed sword.

“Man, that was just great execution all weekend by the team,” Larson said. “Practiced good. You’ve got to qualify good; we did that. Yeah, just had a great car. Thanks to the whole 5 team. They’re the best in the business. We dominate a lot of races but we might not close them all out, so it feels really good to close one out here in this Hendrickcars.com Chevy. We’ve got Rick Hendrick here today, too.

“Just a phenomenal car, could kind of manage my stuff and then really pass some cars there at the end.”

Behind Larson’s no-sweat cruise to victory, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five. The only drama worth mentioning came at the cut-off line for the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton found themselves packing up their championship dreams, all failing to advance.

The contrast from the chaos of the spring race was striking. Back in March, drivers were burning through tires like a teenager with a credit card, forcing NASCAR to hand out an extra set just to make it through 500 laps. That race saw 54 lead changes, smashing the previous record for all short tracks. Fans had barely caught their breath before Goodyear promised the same tire compound for this weekend’s event. But did they make that promise with a sly wink? Saturday night, there wasn’t a hint of tire drama. It could’ve been warmer weather, better adjustments, or just plain Bristol being Bristol. Either way, what was business as usual for Larson was a snooze-fest by Bristol standards.

Playoff Chaos at Bristol: Briscoe battles, Hamlin climbs, Gibbs speeds, Truex falters

Stage 1 was almost a complete parade, with only a brief interruption on lap five when John Hunter Nemechek lost a tire and went for a harmless spin. Larson grabbed the lead on lap 34 and sailed off into the distance, winning his 11th stage of the season with ease. As if we needed more proof he was in a different zip code, by the end of the stage, three Playoff drivers—Brad Keselowski, Harrison Burton, and Daniel Suarez—were already a lap down.

The real fun started in Stage 2, which ended in a frantic dash after Joey Logano spun with a flat tire. Tyler Reddick, desperate for a Playoff point, stayed out ahead of Larson. It didn’t matter. Larson swooped in and snatched the stage win while Reddick’s gamble bumped him to fourth. Burton’s night ended in frustration as he headed to the garage with power steering issues, all but erasing his Playoff hopes. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman secured his spot in the next round with a seventh-place finish.

The final stage was Larson at his clinical best. He stretched his lead to three seconds while a ferocious battle raged behind him for second through fifth. Corey LaJoie brought out a caution on lap 330 after being tagged by Josh Berry, and the field pitted for what would be the last round of stops. Truex, who had been competitive early on, was penalized for speeding, sending him to the back of the field, while Chase Briscoe dropped from fourth to 17th after a painfully slow stop.

On the restart, Larson wasted no time taking command again. Truex’s race unraveled completely as he went a lap down to the No. 5 car, while Briscoe fought his way back into the top 10. Up front, it was a continued masterclass from Larson, leaving the rest of the Playoff contenders to fight for table scraps. Ty Gibbs, despite a rebound after his own speeding penalty, saw his hopes fade as his car became too loose in the closing laps, ending up 15th and out of the Playoffs.

Meanwhile, Suarez had a rough night but survived to advance to the Round of 12, despite finishing 31st, four laps down.

In the end only 10 cars finished on the lead lap.

The next chapter in this Playoff saga begins at Kansas Speedway, with Tyler Reddick returning as the defending winner. But after Saturday night, one thing’s clear: If Larson’s on the track, the rest might just be playing for second.

RACE RESULTS

Greg Engle