Kyle Larson secured his sixth Cup Series victory of the season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s hybrid road course/oval, The Roval, on Sunday. This win propelled Larson to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs, making him the first championship-eligible driver to do so in the round of 12. Larson led for 62 laps in his No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, beating Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds.
The victory also ensured that all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers – Larson, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott – advanced to the next round. Other drivers who made it to the round of eight include Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick. Notably, two of the three Team Penske drivers and Daniel Suarez were eliminated from the playoffs.
The race also saw a few course changes to reduce the impact on drivers, with NASCAR replacing 4-inch “turtles” with 2.25-inch curbing. This adjustment aimed to lessen the impact on cars as they go over the curbing.
Next up, NASCAR will open the third round of playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Larson is the defending race winner and won in the spring as well. Overall, it was a successful weekend for Hendrick Motorsports with Larson’s victory and all four drivers advancing to the next round, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the NASCAR playoffs.
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Photo credit wtop.com
