Kyle Larson Disgusts the Competition in Bristol

On paper, this ninth round of the season held a special intrigue, revolving around the tires. Like last year, Goodyear had brought softer tires, and on the concrete surface of Bristol, their wear was particularly impressive during the practice sessions. The first stint was therefore passed economically for all the drivers, anxious to preserve their tires. Suddenly, after about 60 laps… everyone realized there was no problem! The warmer temperatures allowed the track to store more heat and thus absorb more rubber, without the dreaded "cheese grater" effect.

That's how Kyle Larson took the lead with his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and never let go of them for the entire race. The 2021 champion of the NASCAR Cup Series led 411 of the 500 laps to secure an emotional victory. Jon Edwards, a longtime communications manager at Hendricks who worked with Jeff Gordon and, in recent years, Larson, passed away suddenly the week before the race. The entire team naturally dedicated this race to his memory.

"This victory is for Jon, clearly", explained an emotional Larson after the race. “He was a great guy. We had a great weekend here.”, he added, he who also won Saturday in the Xfinity Series, and who finished second Friday, in the Trucks Series. "I wish he was here with us to celebrate, but I know he's celebrating with us in spirit. It was a perfect race once again here in Bristol for the team, who gave me a really, really good car. It was a lot of fun."

Larson finished ahead of Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing), winner of the previous two races. The driver Toyota was very close to winning a third straight race, but nothing and no one could beat Kyle Larson this weekend. Hamlin's teammate, Ty Gibbs, finished third and is recovering from a particularly disastrous start to the season. One last statistic perfectly illustrates how the race was the opposite of what was expected. The last 235 laps passed without a caution, which is very unusual on this small oval with 28° banked turns. Even at Bristol, you can write all the scenarios on paper, but in the end, it's the drivers and the machines that make the race!

Bristol – Ranking