- Kyle Larson dominated the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, leading 411 of 500 laps for his second Cup Series win of the season.
- This marks Larson’s second consecutive win and third overall at Bristol.
The Kyle Larson Show entered Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday and exited with the winner’s trophy again.
Larson led 411 of 500 laps on his way to winning the Food City 500 for his second win of the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Denny Hamlin and Alex Bowman were the only drivers to test Larson for the lead on Sunday, but Hamlin couldn’t get any closer than a half-second on the final run before Larson pulled away, while Bowman went to the garage on Lap 350 with engine issues.
Larson won at Bristol for the second consecutive time – after winning last year’s playoff race – and for the third time in his career.
Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol:
NASCAR Bristol winner: Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is the new king of Bristol. After leading 462 laps in last fall’s win at Bristol, Larson was dominant again on Sunday with 411 laps led en route to victory.
Larson did have a nervy few laps following the final green flag stop with Denny Hamlin closing in, but he pulled away and retook the lead on Lap 440 for good.
Larson didn’t complete the three-race sweep this weekend, after not making enough ground up at the end in Friday’s Craftsman’s Truck Series race. But he was dominant in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race win and did the same on Sunday.
Larson’s stellar weekend came days after the death of Jon Edwards, the Hendrick Motorsports director of racing communications who worked closely with the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Winner: Ty Gibbs
Ty Gibbs finished third on Sunday, in the top 10 for the second straight week and much needed for the No. 54 team after a poor start.
Gibbs’ race began by getting caught on the outside before drivers had confidence in the outside lane and tire wear. But Gibbs managed to record stage points in the first two stages, then surged up into the top five by Lap 300.
Joe Gibbs Racing had a good day overall, with three drivers in the top five and all four in the top 10. Gibbs needed his result the most of the group, and suddenly his points position isn’t so bad anymore.
Loser: Alex Bowman
Bowman managed an OK points day after accumulating 16 stage points, but apparent engine issues at the beginning of the final stage forced the No. 48 Chevrolet to the garage on Lap 350 and to a finish of 37th.
Bowman has had fast race cars all season, but he is in a funk results-wise with three finishes in a row outside of the top 25.
Until the No. 48 car is in victory lane, points will be important for Bowman’s playoff chances. This downturn will need to halt soon, and maybe the week off is coming at a good time.
Loser: Joey Logano
Logano’s weekend was doomed at the moment he lost it coming off of turn 2 in Saturday’s qualifying session, damaging the rear of the car and forcing him to start at the rear of the field.
Logano was lapped by the end of the first stage, and the No. 22 Ford never got the track position or showed the ability to surge up the leaderboard. He finished in 25th, three laps down.
The No. 22 Team Penske Ford is going to be fine going forward, and will be one of the favorites in two weeks at Talladega. But Logano has left a lot of points out on the track in the first two months of the regular season.
