Kyle Larson wins Talladega thriller to build 73-point Chase lead
Larson charged from 11th to first late on the final lap for his first Talladega victory, strengthening his championship position with two races remaining.
By Chinedu Okafor ·
Kyle Larson turned a late setback into a breakthrough victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 25, rallying from 11th place through the final two corners to win a three-wide finish. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion increased his Chase advantage from five points to 73 with two races left.
Larson began the final lap ahead, but dropped 10 positions through the opening two turns after struggling to handle pushes from Austin Hill’s No. 33 Chevrolet. With half a lap remaining, he lifted his left hand from the steering wheel in frustration, believing he had surrendered a rare opportunity to win at a drafting track.
The race changed again when space opened to Larson’s left. With drafting assistance from Ross Chastain, Larson surged back through the field and crossed the line a few feet ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed third, 0.066 seconds behind Larson, while Chastain finished fourth. Byron had helped push Larson toward the front throughout much of the race.
The result was Larson’s 35th career Cup victory and his third win in seven races. It also ended a run of 58 starts without a victory at Talladega, Daytona or Atlanta, the longest superspeedway win drought among active drivers. Before Sunday, his average finish across those three tracks was a series-worst 30.6. He led 21 laps at Talladega’s 2.66-mile oval.
Larson’s final-lap recovery followed another major comeback. With 15 laps remaining, he began recovering from a slide that had taken him from first to 21st in four laps. He reached second with six laps left before a 15-car crash interrupted the race. Joey Logano’s Ford landed on its roof in the pileup, which required a 13-minute cleanup and sent the event into overtime.
Other championship contenders suffered costly setbacks. A 12-car accident on Lap 132 involved five Chase drivers and effectively ended the title hopes of Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick. Blaney lost control after moving into the top lane and receiving a bump from Bubba Wallace. Christopher Bell, who started the race five points behind Larson, spun while entering pit road for his first green-flag stop on Lap 56. He finished 35th and fell to third in the standings, 74 points back.
Denny Hamlin emerged second in the standings but acknowledged the difficulty of overcoming Larson’s lead. With a maximum of 76 points available for a race victory, Larson could secure his third championship by winning at Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 1.
Earlier, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski used a different fuel strategy to sweep the first stage for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. While much of the field saved fuel to reduce time spent at the first green-flag pit stop, the trio ran laps 10 seconds faster and built a lead exceeding 40 seconds. They remained more than half a lap clear through the stage’s conclusion on Lap 98.
The series next visits Martinsville on Sunday, Nov. 1, for its final short-track race of the season. Chase Elliott beat Hamlin there earlier in the year.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: KSAT 12
