Thrills and Triumphs: Kyle Larson Reigns Victorious in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway delivered a captivating display of NASCAR action, with each lap presenting its own unique challenges and triumphs for the drivers and teams. From the outset, the race was marked by unexpected twists and turns that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Early on, Zane Smith grappled with possible suspension damage on lap 3, setting the tone for a day filled with adversity. Christopher Bell's hopes were dashed on lap 10 when a flat rear right tire forced an unscheduled pit stop, while Chris Buescher's promising run came to a sudden halt on lap 27 as tire and hub issues put him out of contention and prompted a red flag for safety wall repairs.
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
As the race resumed, Daniel Suarez seized the lead on lap 36, showcasing his prowess on the track alongside Michael McDowell. However, William Byron faced a setback on lap 38 when a tarp flew out and covered his grill, causing his engine temperature to skyrocket and necessitating an unplanned pit stop.
Kyle Larson emerged as a dominant force, overtaking Kyle Busch for the lead on lap 61 and maintaining his position to secure victory in Stage 1 on lap 80. Despite challenges faced by drivers like Tyler Reddick, who dropped from second to 16th after a pit mishap on lap 84, the race continued to deliver thrilling moments.
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
Larson continued to assert his dominance, battling with Denny Hamlin for the lead on lap 105 and ultimately securing victory in Stage 2 on lap 165. Bubba Wallace's valiant effort to overcome setbacks, including being three laps down, showcased the resilience of the drivers on the track.
Ross Chasten was down 1 lap on Lap 120 after speeding entering the pits and took the wave around during Lap 156 caution by Christopher Bell spinning, which did not allow him to take a pit stop during the caution. He was able to finish in 4th place after fighting all the way through the field and at one point in 2nd fighting for the lead late in the stage.
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
In the final lap, Larson successfully fended off Tyler Reddick's late charge to claim victory in the Pennzoil 400, capping off an eventful day of racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
After the race Tyler Reddick was really upset that he couldn’t catch Kyle Larson for the win saying, “I won’t get over this.” Reddick pointed out that, “I really fought bad air trying to catch him. The winds really turned things up a lot more and I just fought bad air the entire time.
Kyle Larson after the race describe the year so far, “ We did really well at Daytona, until we didn’t and then we did really well at Atlanta, until we didn’t. So, today things went really well and we were able to finish it off and I am really excited about how well our team is competing right now.”
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
This win is Kyle Larsons 24th in 334 races in his career. This is first win and top 10 this year. Larson has won 3 races and 2 in a row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after winning last October in the Las Vegas playoff race. With the win and points of winning all stages of the race Larson takes the point standings lead as will by 8 points over Ryan Blaney.
There were 6 cautions on the day and 24 lead changes. Time of race 3 hours, 0 mins, and 25 seconds.The average speed on the day with 133.192 mph and the margin of victory was 0.441 seconds.
Photos Courtesy of Rozell Photography
Stage 1 Top 10: 5 Kyle Larson, 45 Tyler Reddick, 19 Martin Truex Jr, 8 Kyle Busch, 11 Denny Hamlin, 54 Ty Biggs, 7 Corey LaJoie, 1 Ross Chastain, 2 Austin Cindric, 20 Christopher Bell
Stage 2 Top 10: 5 Kyle Larson, 45 Tyler Reddick, 11 Denny Hamlin, 12 Ryan Blaney, 19 Martin Truex Jr, 9 Chase Elliott, 3 Austin Dillon, 48 Alex Bowman, 22 Joey Logano, 43 Erik Jones
Finish Top 10: 5 Kyle Larson, 45 Tyler Reddick, 12 Ryan Blaney, 1 Ross Chastain, 54 Ty Gibbs, 10 Noah Gragson, 19 Martin Truex Jr, 11 Denny Hamlin, 22 Joey Logano, 24 William Byron
Next race is March 10th 2024 at Phoenix Raceway
