TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kyle Larson staged a stunning late charge on Sunday, Oct. 25, moving from 11th to first on the final lap to win the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The victory marks the 35th NASCAR Cup Series win of Larson’s career in his 436th start, but it represents his first-ever triumph on a superspeedway, Sports Illustrated reported. Post-race inspection cleared Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet without incident, locking in his third victory through eight events in the 10-race Chase for the Championship.
Late charge and heavy damage
Larson edged Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by just 0.041 seconds at the start-finish line. The event lasted 3 hours, 7 minutes and 54 seconds, registering an average speed of 160.534 mph, according to Sports Illustrated. Chevrolet dominated the afternoon, claiming each of the top six finishing positions.
The race featured 41 lead changes among 15 competitors. Chris Buescher led a race-high 53 laps and took the Stage 1 win, while Larson led 23 laps across four separate stints out front. The event also included four cautions spanning 18 laps, Motorsport reported.
Chaos unfolded throughout the afternoon, producing 14 non-finishes and leaving only 14 cars on the lead lap. A multi-car wreck on Lap 131 eliminated several title contenders, ending the day early for Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott, The Tennessean reported. Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace lost laps in the incident, while Denny Hamlin managed to rebound to an eighth-place finish despite heavy tape across the front of his car.
Championship picture tightens behind Larson
Late in the race, a massive accident stopped the field under a red flag after Stage 2 winner Joey Logano flipped completely upside down with five laps remaining, Motorsport reported. That crash also ended the afternoon for Chase Briscoe, dealing significant hits to their title hopes.
Christopher Bell encountered early misfortune during Stage 1 when he locked up his tires on pit road, spun and hit the wall. After multiple pit stops, Bell fell multiple laps off the pace and finished in 35th position, according to The Tennessean.
Larson now holds a commanding 73-point lead over Hamlin in the Chase standings, with Bell trailing by 74 points in third place, Lead Lap Racing reported. Briscoe sits fourth, 79 points behind, while Logano faces a 100-point deficit.
The NASCAR Cup Series next travels to Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 1 for the ninth event of the Chase. Competitors have just two races remaining on the schedule to erase Larson’s points advantage before the championship wraps up.
