On Sunday, Kyle Larson snags his second checkered flag in the NASCAR Cup Series in the NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series final race on the short track swing takes them to Martinsville Speedway for the NOCO 400. This genuine short track is notorious for frustrating drivers. Long straights followed by tight corners make the fastest line around the paperclip oval tough to find. Coupled with 36 racers fighting for position, make short tempers flare. This is the perfect recipe to make friends heading to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.
Pole Sitter, Ryan Preece, Leads the Field to the Green Flag
Ryan Preece won the pole heading into Sunday’s race. He led the field down into the first turn, and Daniel Suarez followed in close pursuit. Many drivers bumped and pushed on each other to gain track position.
Ross Chastain, Harrison Burton, and Austin Cindric almost caused the first wreck of the afternoon after going three-wide down the backstretch.
Ryan Preece continued to lead as the first stage went the distance without caution. Preece cleanly navigates through lapped traffic to win stage one.
Preece Leads at the Beginning of the Second Stage
Ryan Preece led the opening 41 laps of the second segment, then the second caution of the day came out due to Harrison Burton spinning out in the second turn. The field came down pit road, and Preece had to surrender the lead after being caught speeding on pit road.
On the restart, Kevin Harvick moves into the lead. The remaining 39 laps of the second segment went caution free, for Harvick to pick up the stage win.
Chase Briscoe Picks Up the Lead for the Third Stage
After each driver came down pit road, Chase Briscoe moved into the lead for his first time of the day. He brought the field to the green flag to begin the final segment. Briscoe led the first 63 laps of the stage, but Denny Hamlin had tracked him down. The two raced side-by-side for four laps before Hamlin completed the pass for the lead.
With nearly 100 laps left, the field began cycling down pit road. Another caution flag waved after Anthony Alfredo had a tire come off. Chase Briscoe returned to the lead for another 32 laps before JJ Yeley slammed into the wall off the second turn.
Joey Logano and Kyle Larson battled for the lead on the final restart, and Larson was able to outduel Logano.
Kyle Larson Snags His Second Checkered Flag in the NASCAR Cup Series this Year
Larson took the lead with 29 laps remaining. Joey Logano did not catch up to make another run for the top spot. Kyle Larson closed the NOCO 400 with nearly a four-second lead snagging his second win of the season at Martinsville Speedway.
The NOCO 400 Results
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
It was a solid win for Kyle Larson and his team. They showed early speed in the race from the 19th position. Larson finished in the top ten at the end of the first stage and once more in the second stage.
On the final restart, Larson had to stay patient with fresher tires than Joey Logano. He was able to hang with Logano to take advantage of his fresh wheels to make a pass for the lead. This was all Larson needed to do to close out this race as he was able to add another win early in 2023.