NASCAR Bristol Race Winners and Losers: Another Dominant Night for Kyle Larson

NASCAR has shortened the playoffs to the round of 12 after a dominant race by Kyle Larson in Bristol. Larson led 462 laps and took his fifth win of the 2024 season on Saturday night at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, advancing to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Larson's Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (second) and Alex Bowman (ninth) also finished in the top 10.

Here are our winners and losers from the NASCAR race in Bristol.

winner

Kyle Larson

This is what we all expected from Larson in the NASCAR playoffs. His spectacular performance is the headline of the night. It's his fifth win of the season, and there are more races to go. Larson leads a group of four Hendrick Motorsports drivers who have all advanced to the Round of 12.

Team Penske Racing

Who would have thought that Team Penske would have all three of its drivers in the Round of 12 when the NASCAR playoffs began three weeks ago? Austin Cindric is one of the surprises among those who have advanced. He is ninth. They are joined by Ryan Blaney, who is fifth, and Joey Logano, who is eighth and has won a race in the playoffs.

Bubba Wallace

Wallace received a contract extension with 23XI Racing earlier this week and then left Bristol with a third-place finish. This is his best finish at Bristol and his first top-five finish at the East Tennessee track. His previous best finish was 10th in the May 2020 race.

loser

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski's playoff run ended in Bristol thanks in part to a 26th-place finish. That comes after he finished third in the March race at Bristol. He was 15th in the playoff standings before the Round of 12.

Kyle Busch

There was a time when Busch dominated at Bristol, winning eight races in his career, but after a 25th-place finish at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, he finished 20th or worse five times in a row.

Joe Gibbs Race

If the playoffs are truly a showdown between Hendrick and Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing will have to take a hit at the first cut. Half of Joe Gibbs Racing's drivers in the playoffs were eliminated after Bristol. A speeding penalty knocked Martin Truex Jr. out of contention for the Round of 12, ending his hopes of winning the championship in his final full Cup season. And Ty Gibbs was the first driver to fall.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or [email protected] and on the X-Platform, formerly Twitter, @Kreager.

This article originally appeared in the Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Bristol race winners and losers include Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace