September 21, 2024; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) leads Kyle Larson (5) and drivers Kyle Larson (5) during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Martin Truex Jr. (19) enters Turn 4. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images Kyle Larson dominated the concrete high bank of Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night during the NASCAR Cup Series Bath Pro Shop Night Race in Bristol, Tenn. Led 462 of 500 laps to win the race.
In the final of three rounds of 16 races, Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 driver started second but ran one spot better for most of the time around the half-mile bullring in the mountains of Tennessee.
Larson beat teammate Chase Elliott by 7.088 seconds for his fifth win of 2024, his most dominant performance in the points race to date.
Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
Rounding out the top ten were Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain.
With the bottom four riders eliminated in this round, championship hopes were dashed.
Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton did not advance to next Sunday Top 12 race at Kansas Speedway.
Denny Hamlin was below the cutoff line before the 29th race of the season, but has now surpassed it, essentially switching places with Gibbs, who Made it safely into the race before the 500 lap race.
Truex's elimination ended his hopes of winning the final season of the series.
Larson showed his quality early on in the 125-lap first stage, passing polesitter Bowman and holding championship contender Keselowski a lap behind late in the stage.
The No. 5 Chevrolet held on to the lead as Larson earned his 11th win of the season. Bowman and Bell followed closely behind in second and third place respectively.
Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, once again dominated the second period and beat Truex and Hamlin to earn a dozen wins.
During the second half of the race, on Lap 329, the No. 4 Ford driven by Josh Berry crashed the No. 7 Chevrolet driven by Corey LaJoie into the rear stretch wall, colliding with Lal. Larson and Hamlin took the lead.
Subsequent pit stops had an impact on the playoffs as Truex was penalized for speeding on pit road and restarted in the mid-1920s. He never recovered and finished 24th but failed to advance.
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