Kyle Larson pulled off one of the most dramatic wins of his career at Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega, going from 11th place to victory on the final lap of overtime. Driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, he dropped to the bottom lane and passed seven cars in the last quarter-mile, beating teammate William Byron by 0.041 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ross Chastain finished right behind in a door-to-door-to-door photo finish. The victory was Larson’s first in 59 starts on a big drafting-style track, and he called it the best speedway race he’s ever had. His three children joined him in the car for the victory lap.
The win came with two races left in The Chase and boosted Larson’s title position significantly. He now leads Denny Hamlin by 73 points, Christopher Bell by 74, and Chase Briscoe by 77. Joey Logano (100 back) and Ryan Blaney (107 back) lost ground after being caught in massive wrecks, with Logano’s car flipping upside down. Bell finished 35th after hitting the wall, and Briscoe, who started on pole, finished 33rd after the late crash.
Hendrick’s Jeff Gordon cautioned that no points lead is big enough yet. The series heads to Martinsville next Sunday.
