DARLINGTON, SC – Kyle Larson led the final 55 laps to begin his final NASCAR playoffs ran with his first career victory at the Southern 500 on Sunday night.
THE 2021 Cup Series Champion automatically advances to the round of 16 with victory at Darlington Raceway, regardless of results next week’s race at Kansas Speedway and in two weeks at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“What a great way to start the playoffs,” said the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Larson didn’t have the fastest car, just a car that took the lead at the right time while other contenders pulled away.
Denny Hamlin led a race record 177 over 367 laps and appeared to be headed for victory before feeling vibrations as what he told his crew was a loose wheel and had to pit on consecutive laps.
“We controlled the race until we had problems,” Hamlin said. “That’s just part of the problem.”
Tyler Reddick led 90 laps, but lost the lead to Larson coming off pit road. Kevin Harvick, seeking the first victory of his final season, challenged Harvick for the lead with less than 60 laps remaining, but was penalized when he was unable to avoid entering the pits moments after they closed by NASCAR after a warning.
Harvick was penalized and could not recover. He said he didn’t have time to get back on track before the start line.
It was a successful run on the track “Too Tough To Tame” for Larson after several close calls. He had three seconds and two thirds in his previous 11 Cup Series races at Darlington. In May, Larson was racing late for the lead when he was hit by Ross Chastain and finished 20th.
“That’s been one of my favorite songs of my entire career,” Larson said. “I’ve been really, really fast here my whole career, usually into the wall.”
“To add this trophy to the collection is incredible,” Larson continued. “It’s one of the three or four jewels in the crown.”
Playoff drivers took the top seven spots. Tyler Reddick finished second, followed by Chris Buescher, William Byron, Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace.
Harvick finished 19th and Hamlin 25th. The rest of the playoff field was Kyle Busch 11th, Joey Logano 12th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 16th, Martin Truex Jr. 18th, pole sitter Christopher Bell 23rd and Michael McDowell 32nd.
Byron, Larson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports and co-seed with Truex, checked in with a series-best five wins this year and was pleased with the high finish.
“I think it’s a good stepping stone for Kansas and good to get a strong first run in the playoffs,” he said.
FAREWELL, COMMANDER
Darlington fans, drivers and staff said goodbye to track president Kerry Tharp, who announced his retirement after nearly two decades with NASCAR earlier this summer. Signs celebrating Tharp’s eight-year tenure as Darlington’s leader were located both inside and outside the facility. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster also awarded Tharp the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor that governors can bestow.
POWER OUTAGE
NASCAR halted racing for seven minutes at Darlington Raceway when some lights in turns three and four failed to illuminate as the event transitioned from day to night. A warning was issued when teams noticed the lights were out and NASCAR attempted to cautiously resolve the issue. Fans in the sold-out venue cheered as the lights came on and the cars quickly got back on the road. The problem was with a transfer switch that was not receiving enough voltage to trip. The problem did not present itself during the track lighting test before the race weekend.
FOLLOWING
The second of the first three races of the NASCAR playoffs will take place at Kansas Speedway on September 10. Bubba Wallace won this event a year ago, while Denny Hamlin won there in May.
