With two laps remaining during Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson utilized his full blocking repertoire to hold off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick to claim his third win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Riding on the outside lane, Reddick rallied to within one car length of the leader during the penultimate rotation. But Larson responded with a key block.
As Reddick shifted tactics and attempted a surprise move by driving low, Larson denied the passing attempt and extended his lead from 0.143 seconds to 0.441 seconds to earn his first trip to Victory Lane this season.
“Thankfully, (I) was able to air block him a couple laps and get him tight,” Larson told Fox Sports following his 24th career win. “All in all, such a great job by this team and just (its) execution, pit road, restarts — all that was great.”
X (Twitter) fans responded to Larson sweeping both stages and leading 181 of 267 laps as the 2021 Cup champion clinched a playoff berth with his son, Owen …
Vegas!!! Amazing job by this 5 team. Feels great to be back in victory lane here! 🏁🎰 pic.twitter.com/vtLBGs3sx4
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) March 4, 2024
The last five races Larson swept the first two stages, he went on to win the race, like Sunday. Reddick, who earned his first top-five at the 1.5-mile tri-oval track, said: “Kyle did good job there. He never let me have it” …
WATCH: Kyle Larson wins the Pennzoil 400 #NASCAR Cup Series race pic.twitter.com/0JxJ71nuGi
— Essential Filmworks 🇺🇸 (@Real_EF_News) March 4, 2024
Before the engines were ignited, a party broke out in Las Vegas? Imagine that …
Havin’ ourselves a day w/ @MaddieandTae! 🎤@NASCAR | #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/X0I5th0FFm
— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) March 3, 2024
Getting things started, the Raider way! …
.@AJCole90 brought the ENERGY! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/75GtW98o82
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Of course, it’s a green flag! It’s Vegas, right? …
Laying it all on the line. Let’s go racin’!!! @NASCAR | #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/TbHaZ5yMP5
— Las Vegas Motor Speedway (@LVMotorSpeedway) March 3, 2024
William Byron showed early power by driving on the apron and executing a strong run along turns 1 and 2 on Lap 16 …
Eighth to first in one lap! 🤯
Take a ride with @WilliamByron on the last restart. pic.twitter.com/2HlQIzRpIl
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Chris Buescher rolled craps along Turn 1 on Lap 27, losing his right front wheel. During his previous pit stop, the pit crew changed right tires only …
Hard hit for Buescher!
The No. 17 is done for the day after the right-front tire comes loose going into Turn 1.
He took only 2 right-side tires on the first caution.#NASCAR #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/q5BktovVpy
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) March 3, 2024
Lap 32 was interrupted as a red-flag welding job was issued to fix the wall …
Just your normal red flag during a NASCAR Cup Series race to weld the wall. Nothing to see here pic.twitter.com/xwViBnZXMq
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) March 3, 2024
Riding in seventh place on Lap 38, William Byron found himself on garbage pickup duty. Eight rotations later, the trash bag forced the No. 24 Chevrolet into an unscheduled pit stop. The engine temperature rose to 340-degrees …
The No. 24 picks up a piece of debris and is forced to pit road. #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/zku4WNMbSb
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Larson’s on-track trash talk appears to be getting fresher …
This is why talking with the drivers in the middle of a race is fun 😂 @ClintBowyer | @KyleLarsonRacin pic.twitter.com/fXcB5r6Tst
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 3, 2024
Larson claimed his first stage win of the season, edging a hard-charging Reddick …
STAGE 1 WINNER: @KyleLarsonRacin
The No. 5 just holds off @TylerReddick for his first stage victory of the season.#NASCAR #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/CmFNMnvqo2
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) March 3, 2024
Larson and sophomore Ty Gibbs made contact during a pit stop, but it didn’t hold back the No. 5 machine to give Chevrolet three manufacturer wins in three Cup events this season. …
The Nos. 5 and 54 make contact on pit road. pic.twitter.com/Q569ZcW6Zn
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
After drawing the ire of reigning series champion Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain was flagged for a penalty, forcing him to the back of the pack. The Melon Man rallied, however, led for two laps and placed fourth …
Issues on pit road for @RossChastain!
He was caught speeding and has to serve a pass-through penalty. pic.twitter.com/UhvPJOgS9a
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Paving the way for a stage sweep, Larson passed Denny Hamlin on Lap 105 …
.@KyleLarsonRacin takes the lead away from @dennyhamlin! #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/QGFvjtxjvf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Riding P14, Christopher Bell, who has qualified for back-to-back Championship 4 races, suffered problems and spun out along Turn 2 of Lap 156 …
Early issues for the No. 20 but makes it safely to pit road. pic.twitter.com/YA5iQdDF3I
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
The ending of Stage 2 featured more of the same for Larson and Reddick …
STAGE 2 WINNER: @KyleLarsonRacin
Once again the No. 5 sweeps the stages here @LVMotorSpeedway and just like the first stage he holds off @TylerReddick.#NASCAR #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/FEN9pdjFiU
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) March 3, 2024
Flashback to 2018 …
Dueling burnouts on the Las Vegas Strip?
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney did ‘em back in 2018. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/TeKjyp5DKn
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) March 3, 2024
Coming back to his home track, Kyle Busch looked like he would continue to challenge Larson and Reddick, but he suffered a penalty for pitting outside the box and the crew members continued to work on the No. 8 Chevrolet. Busch finished P26 after leading 18 laps …
We've got more issues on pit road!@KyleBusch is penalized for pitting outside of the box. pic.twitter.com/IdNp4iSEJ4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Like the first two stages, Reddick, who suffered pit problems after sliding through the stall, failed to make a winning move when it mattered most. “It’s frustrating,” he said …
Final laps onboard with Tyler Reddick pic.twitter.com/bI3nxhSg7u
— Brett (@22fan4ever) March 4, 2024
Here’s an early look at the Cup Series playoff standings …
There's a new name atop the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings! Here's an updated look following today's race at Las Vegas.#kylelarson #yungmoney #nascar pic.twitter.com/M46q0TMxSx
— Larson Land (@LarsonLand) March 4, 2024
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