DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kyle Larson led the general 55 laps to begin his original NASCAR playoff run along with his first occupation win on the Southern 500 on Sunday night time.
The 2021 Cup Layout champion mechanically advances into the around of 12 with the win at Darlington Raceway, regardless of how he does in races at Kansas and Bristol the later two weeks.
“What a great way to start the playoffs,” he mentioned.
Larson didn’t have the quickest automobile, only one that were given out entrance on the proper day age alternative contenders fell away.
Denny Hamlin led a race-best 177 of 367 laps and appeared headed for the win ahead of he felt vibrations for what he advised his staff used to be a reduce wheel and needed to pit on consecutive laps.
“We controlled the race until we had some trouble,” Hamlin mentioned. “That’s just part of it.”
Tyler Reddick led 90 laps, but misplaced the manage to Larson coming off pit highway. Kevin Harvick, in quest of the primary victory of his ultimate season, challenged Larson for the manage with not up to 60 laps excess however used to be penalized when he may now not steer clear of coming into the pits moments then they have been closed by means of NASCAR then a warning got here out.
Harvick used to be penalized and couldn’t get well. He mentioned he didn’t have day to get again at the monitor ahead of the constancy order.
It used to be a a hit run on the monitor “Too Tough To Tame” for Larson then a number of related screams. He has had 3 seconds and two thirds in his 11 earlier Cup Layout races at Darlington. In Might, Larson used to be racing for the manage overdue when he used to be accident by means of Ross Chastain and wound up twentieth.
“This has been one of my favorite tracks my whole career,” Larson mentioned. “Been really, really fast here my whole career, just usually in the wall.”
“Adding this trophy to the collection is amazing,” Larson persevered. “This is one of three or four crown jewels.”
Playoff drivers took the primary seven spots. Reddick used to be 2d, adopted by means of Chris Buescher, William Byron, Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace.
Harvick ended nineteenth and Hamlin twenty fifth. The extra of the playoff garden used to be Kyle Busch in eleventh, Joey Logano in twelfth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in sixteenth, Martin Truex Jr. in 18th, pole-sitter Christopher Bell in twenty third and Michael McDowell in thirty second.
Byron, Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate and co-top seed with Truex, entered with a series-best 5 victories this 12 months and used to be proud of the prime end.
“I think this is a good stepping stone for Kansas and good to get a solid first race in the playoffs,” he mentioned.
FAREWELL, COMMANDER
Darlington fanatics, drivers and group of workers mentioned adieu to trace president Kerry Tharp, who introduced his departure then just about twenty years with NASCAR previous this summer time. Indicators celebrating Tharp’s eight-year tenure in command of Darlington have been each outside and inside the power. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster additionally awarded Tharp the Form of the Palmetto, the surrounding’s best civilian honor governors can provide.
POWER OUTAGE
NASCAR halted the race for seven mins when some lighting in turns 3 and 4 would now not come on as the development moved from month to nighttime. A warning got here out when groups spotted the lighting off, and NASCAR attempted to recovery the sickness below warning. Enthusiasts on the sold-out venue cheered when the lighting got here on and automobiles have been quickly rolling once more. The sickness got here from a switch transfer that used to be now not getting plethora voltage to fireside. The problem didn’t provide itself throughout the monitor’s lighting fixtures check ahead of race weekend.
UP NEXT
The second one of 3 opening-round races within the NASCAR playoffs takes playground at Kansas Speedway on Sept. 10. Wallace took this tournament a 12 months in the past, age Hamlin gained there in Might.
