Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at WWT Raceway descended right into a chaotic contest that includes 18 cautions and two crimson flags.
For the primary time since trying the 2025 Indy 500/Coke 600 double, Kyle Larson returned to Victory Lane, successful his thirty third profession race and his first in 51 begins.
The race featured 18 cautions, a file for each WWT Raceway and the complete 2026 season. There have been additionally two crimson flags within the last stage, and the race led to double extra time.
Watch: Larson after breakthrough win: ‘We received our swagger again’
“I had a very good feeling,” mentioned Larson. “I imply, you by no means know. I felt like this place is so bizarre. Clearly with the brake rotor failure, technique, all that.
“Simply happy with my staff for working so arduous, being so affected person by means of all of the powerful occasions, the winless streak, all that. Because of the followers, my followers, for additionally being affected person with us, letting us get it discovered.
“How about Hendrick Motorsports. Alex Bowman, cannot ask for a greater teammate than him. Gave me the pushes I wanted to get clear. Wish to dedicate this win to him, and his canine simply handed away a pair days in the past.”
William Byron, prime 5, too. Ross Chastain fifth. A whole lot of Chevys up there. Good day for Chevrolet.
Alex Bowman completed second in a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2, with Joey Logano third, William Byron fourth, and Ross Chastain fifth.
Austin Dillon, Connor Zilisch, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, and Austin Cindric stuffed out the rest of the highest ten.
Hamlin continues to guide the championship standings, simply 9 factors away from Larson and 18 factors forward of Christopher Bell.
Stage 1
Logano led from the beginning, and it did not take lengthy for issues to get wild out on the monitor. Suarez wiggled up the monitor, squeezing Reddick into the wall and inflicting the No. 45 to interrupt or bend a toelink.
Nonetheless, the primary warning was a few laps later as Herbst spun in the back of the pack.
Issues have been hyper-aggressive all through the sector, with Stenhouse being the following to go for a single-car spin quickly after. On the restart after that, drivers ran out of room in a four-wide battle on the exit of Flip 2. McDowell, Van Gisbergen, and Gragson all crashed, with Suarez—who’s within the Chase—getting pushed into the incident by Ware.
Van Gisbergen was additionally concerned within the subsequent incident, spinning on his personal with 4 cautions earlier than the top of Stage 1.
In one other frantic restart, Wallace dropped from inside the highest 10 to just about thirtieth after getting moved up by Chastain after which quickly after by Suarez.
Logano went on to win a wild opening stage, adopted by Bell, Larson, Blaney, Elliott, Hocevar, Briscoe, Bowman, Gibbs, and Keselowski.
Stage 2
A dozen drivers stayed out, led by Keselowski, Nemechek, Suarez, Byron, and Hamlin. Bell received the race off pit highway with a two tire name, adopted by Gibbs, Zilisch, Jones. Logano and Larson are the primary on 4 tires.
There have been battles throughout the monitor and vehicles in each lane, however there nonetheless wasn’t sufficient room for 2 Toyotas as a pissed off Gibbs despatched Jones spinning.
After that, Herbst spun once more after contact from Van Gisbergen, amassing Allmendinger. They have been checking up for a scenario forward of them, triggering the wreck.
Nearly the complete discipline pitted, however Chastain stayed out with Jones and Preece. In the meantime, Hamlin received the race off the pit lane with a two-tire name.
Chastain led some laps earlier than being handed by Larson, after which did a powerful job warding off Keselowski for fairly some time within the battle for second. Finally, Logano handed them each.
Ware needed to pit beneath inexperienced as his window internet got here unfastened, which triggered a black flag.
Chastain made it to 11 laps to go within the stage, and moments later, the warning flew for a giant crash for Zane Smith. Chastain was mere seconds away from biking into the lead, however had simply gotten lapped, so as a substitute needed to rejoin on the tailend of the sector.
Larson received the stage beneath warning, adopted by Logano, Keselowski, Blaney, Berry, Hamlin, Preece, Reddick, Briscoe, and Wallace.
Stage 3
Logano received the race off pit highway, however on the restart, Wallace and Briscoe made contact, sending each round and amassing a 3rd Chase driver in Byron.
Within the subsequent run, Blaney suffered a dramatic brake failure down the frontstretch whereas operating sixth, changing into the primary Chase driver to fall out of the race.
Larson and Berry stayed out, whereas Keselowski and Logano led those that determined to pit. It was a wild restart, with Berry and Larson making contact, resulting in a three-wide, full-contact battle with Hamlin. Keselowski ended up taking the lead after a quick scuffle, making side-to-side contact with Berry within the course of.
Chastain then triggered the following yellow as he spun down the frontstretch, retaining it out of the wall. Larson and Berry selected to pit with a couple of others, and there was a quick hearth in the back of Herbst’s automobile.
Logano took the lead on that restart, and whereas Keselowski and Hocevar received side-by-side, they saved it clear.
Gragson was the following to undergo a brake failure, breaking the season-high for cautions at any monitor this 12 months with 13, and extra carnage to comply with.
Keselowski, Gibbs, Preece, Van Gisbergen, and Chastain stayed out, whereas Logano led the race off pit highway. Hocevar additionally needed to make an additional pit cease because of a unfastened wheel.
Chastain made a daring four-wide go on the restart to take second, however Logano ultimately moved by and commenced his pursuit of Keselowski.
Nonetheless, numerous Chase drivers have been about to seek out bother. Elliott misplaced his brakes on the entry of Flip 1, wrecking himself and Briscoe.
After that, Wallace, Berry, Reddick, and Bell all crashed in a wild incident on the exit of Flip 2. Reddick even received airborne for a second.
The subsequent wreck was pretty large as nicely, as Gibbs, Allmendinger, Suarez, and T. Dillon wrecked on the exit of Flip 2 on the restart.
NASCAR red-flagged the race, with Larson main the way in which with a bit more energizing tires. The race resumed with seven laps to go, and Larson appeared set to finish his winless streak, just for Buescher to crash with a brake failure and push the race into extra time.
Together with the seventeenth warning, that wreck additionally triggered the second crimson flag stoppage of the race.
On an extra time restart, Larson requested team-mate Byron to not push Logano on the extra time restart, and Byron obliged. That allowed Bowman to maneuver up into second, as Van Gisbergen spun from inside the highest ten.
In double extra time, Larson once more maintained the lead, and what was left of the sector managed to maintain it clear for 2 extra laps of racing. Larson took the checkered flag, about three tenths away from Bowman.
Watch: Larson wins wild extra time thriller at Gateway
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