NASCAR results: Kyle Larson dominates in Bristol; Martin Truex Jr. eliminated from playoffs

Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson was never in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs Saturday night, and he was never really in danger of being passed for the lead.

Larson led 462 of the 500 laps – the most laps led by a Bristol winner since Cale Yarborough led 496 laps in April 1977 – to add a trophy to his collection and head into the quarterfinals of the playoffs with momentum.

“We dominate a lot of races, but we may not win them all, so it feels really good to win one here,” Larson said.

It was a dominating performance in a race that was the exact opposite of the spring race, where tires wore out after 40-50 laps. Teams were able to complete 180 laps on a full tank of fuel around the .533-mile steeply banked concrete oval.

That meant lengthy green flag racing, and in a race known for its sparks and cautions that re-split the field, there were ultimately three cautions due to incidents and little controversy.

“I know you probably think the race in the spring was better, but as a driver I would rather go 100 percent for 500 laps all night than just 50 percent (to control tire wear),” Larson said. “I don't think this is much of a race. I grew up watching other races where you're on the gas the whole race, but I think this version of Bristol (tonight) is a lot more exciting.”

Since only Joey Logano was qualified for the quarterfinals (round of 16 of the last 12) from the start, eleven drivers survived the first playoff round and advanced: Larson, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe.

Two former champions – Martin Truex Jr. (who is retiring from full-time racing after this season) and Brad Keselowski – were among those eliminated. Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton, both making their first Cup playoff appearances, were also eliminated.

Findings from Bristol:

Hamlin's champion quest continues

Denny Hamlin, arguably the most successful driver to never win a Cup title, entered Saturday's race six points ahead of anyone who failed to make the playoff cut. Thanks to a fourth-place finish and the second-most points (46) of the night, he ended the night with a 15-point lead.

“I never thought it would be a goal to make it past the first lap,” Hamlin said. “But after the first two races (of the lap), it definitely feels good. But we expect a hell of a lot more than just making it past the first lap.”

Hamlin is not worried that the effort he has to put in on the first lap will affect him in the rounds to come. With the points reset, he will be seven points above the new cutline at the start of the next round.

“For us, it’s time to take a deep breath and reorient ourselves,” Hamlin said.

There is always a next year (except for Truex)

Gibbs started the day six points over the cutline, Truex twelve points under – and both had strong cars. But both raced on pit road and were unable to recover.

Truex was lapped after being in the top five for most of the night before the penalty, and would have had to win or finish second to advance.

“Once you get back in the field, you burn your tires out really quickly,” Truex said. “I just couldn't get through there and my tires were fading really quickly and the leaders caught me quickly when it was clear. … You have to keep an eye on position and I lost all of ours when I went too fast.”

He was traveling 0.09 miles per hour over the speed limit set by NASCAR for safety reasons on a section of pit road.

“I just tried to do the same thing every time (on pit road),” Truex said. “I'm just frustrated, upset and hate it for my guys. … I don't know if we were good enough, but it would have been nice to at least find out, and I hate that I messed up.”

Gibbs also blamed himself for his speeding penalty. He had worked his way up to eighth place, but his driving skills later deteriorated and he ended up in 15th place.

“The speeding fine is on me,” said Gibbs. “We were driving that close with the lights (which show rpm) on and I think I overdid it a bit. My fault. Shame.”

It was a disappointing night for Keselowski, who finished three laps down and never helped fight his way to the next lap, expecting the tires to react in a similar way to the spring.

“We just didn't have the pace we needed – we were set up for the other tire that I would have liked,” Keselowski said. “But we had what we had. We want to run better. We want to win races and go far in the playoffs. Anything less is disappointing.”

Suarez finishes 31st and advances

Suarez had a terrible day, but thanks to speeding penalties for Truex and Gibbs, he managed to bring a slow car to the finish line and move on.

It was possibly the first time he could celebrate after finishing 31st thanks to a 36-point lead before the race.

“It wasn't pretty, of course,” said Suarez. “We knew it was going to be a long night. We were the last car in practice. We qualified 31st and finished 31st. That's not ideal. Luckily… we built up a decent lead.”

Suarez said he felt they had driven the race they had to do with a slow car.

“I pushed when I had to push,” said Suarez. “Overall, we drove a smart race. It wasn't good. But it was smart.”

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Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has covered motorsports for decades, including over 30 Daytona 500s, and has worked for ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene Magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @Subscribe.

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