Kyle Larson holds off a late race charge from Tyler Reddick to win the Pennzoil 400 and, most likely, secure a post in the NASCAR playoffs. Larson dominated the majority of the day but had to rely on every bit of skill he possesses to hold onto the win. The California native led 180 of 267 laps and won all three stages to secure the most playoff points available in the race.
Larson only experienced two true challenges throughout the day. The second challenge came from Reddick on the final green flag run of the day. Larson built a big lead when the green flag waved with 27 laps to go. His car had the speed to get far out in front of everyone else. However, Reddick’s car was set up better for a longer run. Reddick made it to Larson’s bumper with two laps to go but wasn’t able to get around Larson for the win. If this race had been five laps longer, Reddick would have won.
The first challenge came from Larson’s teammate, William Byron. The Daytona 500 Champion passed Larson early on and looked like he would be able to match his teammate in speed. Unfortunately for Byron, debris covered his front grill causing him to overheat early in the race and forcing him to pit. Byron spent the rest of the day playing catchup and settling for a 10th place finish.
Larson’s win ensured Chevy remains undefeated in points races in the 2024 Monster Energy Cup Season. Chevy has won eight out of nine races across NASCAR’s top three series. The lone race Chevy failed to win was Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas. John Hunter Nemechek won that race for Toyota.
Pennzoil 400 Top 10 Finishers
- Kyle Larson
- Tyler Reddick
- Ryan Blaney
- Ross Chastain
- Ty Gibbs
- Noah Gragson
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- William Byron
NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Top 10 Points
- Kyle Larson
- Ryan Blaney
- Martin Truex Jr.
- William Byron
- Ross Chastain
- Kyle Busch
- Chase Elliott
- Daniel Suárez
- Ty Gibbs
- Denny Hamlin
Next Up for NASCAR
NASCAR will stay on the West Coast for next week’s races. The Monster Energy Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Phoenix for the fourth race of their respective seasons. The Craftsman Truck Series takes a weekend off before returning at Bristol on Saturday, March 16th. Meanwhile, the ARCA Menards Series, which hasn’t run a race since Daytona, will join the top two NASCAR series in Phoenix next weekend.
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