The 2023 Cup Series Playoffs run is falling in the favor of The Bow Tie so far, as Kyle Larson put the No. 5 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 in Victory Lane at Darlington on September 3rd, 2023.
Larson has a championship trophy already and is chasing his second, having won in 2021. He fought through a minor transmission issue and a brush with the wall early in the race at Darlington, rallying back to take the checkered flag.
“Eighteenth to third in the first stage, I didn’t think that was possible,” Larson said of his recovery. “Our race car was really good when the sun was out. Just had to work on it.”
He added, “I messed up once and it got hung in neutral, and I slid and hit the wall, and I think bent the toe link a little bit, so it was kind of a struggle from there. Definitely had to fight it more than I was earlier, but we kept our heads in the game. That was really important. This race is all about keeping your head in it.”
Meanwhile, William Byron, driver of the No. 24 NASCAR Chevy, still leads the points, thanks to his five race wins in 2023 and an overall better performance than Larson this year. Byron finished fourth, putting forth a good showing at Darlington. Other Playoffs eligible drivers include Ross Chastain, whose No. 1 Camaro finished sixth, and Kyle Busch, who brought it home in 11th.
Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 18 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 367 | 55 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
2 | 3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick (P) | Jordan Brand Toyota | 367 | 90 | Toyota TRD Camry |
3 | 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher (P) | BuildSubmarines.com Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
4 | 23 | 24 | William Byron (P) | Liberty University Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
5 | 27 | 1 | Ross Chastain (P) | Unishippers Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
6 | 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski (P) | Solomon Plumbing Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
7 | 19 | 23 | Bubba Wallace (P) | McDonald's Toyota | 367 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
8 | 13 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
9 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney (P) | Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
10 | 20 | 43 | Erik Jones | Allegiant Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
11 | 11 | 8 | Kyle Busch (P) | McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
12 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | Shell Pennzoil Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
13 | 16 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Action Industries Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
14 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
15 | 12 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | HighPoint.com/Lady in Black Ford | 367 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
16 | 25 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P) | Boost by Kroger/Irish Spring Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
17 | 15 | 42 | Carson Hocevar(i) | Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
18 | 31 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. (P) | Bass Pro Shops Toyota | 367 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
19 | 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick (P) | Mobil 1 Take 5 Ford | 367 | 1 | Ford Mustang |
20 | 28 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
21 | 17 | 54 | Ty Gibbs # | Monster Energy Toyota | 367 | 0 | Toyota TRD Camry |
22 | 22 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Gainbridge Chevrolet | 367 | 3 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
23 | 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | Yahoo! Toyota | 366 | 40 | Toyota TRD Camry |
24 | 29 | 31 | Justin Haley | LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet | 366 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
25 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota | 366 | 177 | Toyota TRD Camry |
26 | 30 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Quincy Compressor Ford | 366 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
27 | 35 | 51 | Ryan Newman | Parts Plus/Biohaven Ford | 365 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
28 | 34 | 41 | Ryan Preece | HaasTooling.com Ford | 364 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
29 | 26 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Raze Energy Blue Shock Chevrolet | 364 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
30 | 33 | 15 | JJ Yeley(i) | Ollie's Bargain Outlet Ford | 362 | 1 | Ford Mustang |
31 | 14 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Discount Tire Ford | 361 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
32 | 9 | 34 | Michael McDowell (P) | StageFront.VIP Ford | 329 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
33 | 24 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 322 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
34 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Freeway.com Chevrolet | 320 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
35 | 32 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford | 318 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
36 | 36 | 78 | BJ McLeod | Affliction Chevrolet | 210 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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