Late cautions lead Kyle Larson to his first 2023 victory at Richmond Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday.
The NASCAR Cup Series raced at Richmond Raceway this past weekend for its first short-track race of the season. Over the next few weeks, the NASCAR Cup Series is hitting all the short tracks. By the end of this short track swing, tempers will flare as the series heads down to Talladega Superspeedway at the end of April. A fun stretch for fans to watch.
Alex Bowman Takes the Field to Green from the Pole Position
Alex Bowman held the pole position heading into Sunday afternoon’s showdown on the 0.75-mile track. In the opening eight laps, he held the lead before surrendering to William Byron. Byron led the field to the competition caution on lap 31.
Ross Chastain moved into the lead on the following restart for another six laps before Denny Hamlin spun around JJ Yeley bringing out another quick caution.
William Byron passed Ross Chastain on the following restart with 19 laps remaining in the first segment. Byron went on to increase his advantage over the field and win the opening stage.
William Byron versus Kyle Larson
William Byron jumped back out front to take over the lead in the second segment. He led the first 15 laps before another caution came out. This time it was Josh Berry spinning around coming off of the fourth turn.
On the restart, it was Kyle Larson and William Byron battling for the lead. Larson let Byron have it but stormed back 18 laps later to claim the top spot. The race entered its longest green flag run for the day as cars became scattered all over the track.
Larson had issues moving past lapped traffic. He took some damage, and this allowed Byron to sneak back into the lead. At this point, 30 laps were remaining in the segment and two other drivers moved into the mix.
Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell were right there in the top four. Bell made the pass for the lead on Byron, but eventually, Hamlin moved past both drivers to lead the race. Denny Hamlin made the pass with two laps left in the segment and was able to carry on to win the second stage.
Martin Truex Jr Leads Off the Third Stage
Martin Truex Jr led the field coming into the final stage of the race. He dominated the first half, leading the first 40 laps. During the pitting cycle, William Byron returned to the lead but not for long as Tyler Reddick spun around on the backstretch bringing out a critical caution with 26 laps remaining.
The leaders came down pit road and it was Kyle Larson back in the front row. Immediately on the restart, William Byron spun around in the first turn as the field stacked up.
Late Cautions Lead Kyle Larson to his First 2023 Victory at Richmond
The field lined up once again with Larson and Truex Jr on the front row. Martin Truex Jr was on older tires and which was the difference as Kyle Larson was able to soar to the lead.
Kyle Larson closed out the final 13 laps being chased by Josh Berry. There was not much he could have done as Kyle Larson went on to win his first race of 2023.
The Toyota Owners 400 Results
Sunday’s race lived up to what fans have seen over the years at Richmond Raceway. A worn-out track that puts extensive use on the tires causing drivers to slip around. There are long green flag runs during the middle portion of the race, and chaos follows as the race closes. With 20 laps to go, it looked as if William Byron was going to cruise to victory. Kyle Larson was running well but had fallen out of contention.
A late caution from Tyler Reddick spun out and the race had flipped on its head. Great drivers take advantage of every opportunity. Kyle Larson found himself on the front row for the final two restarts and made the most of his chance at victory.