Kyle Larson

The NASCAR Cup Series returns from a two-week break with its fifth road course race of the season.

Sunday's race takes place at one of the traditional road course homes on the circuit at Watkins Glen International.

In most previous seasons, Watkins Glen would be the second and final road course stop for the Cup Series after Sonoma Raceway. In 2021, there are two more road courses on the docket after the trip to upstate New York.

As is the case for every Cup Series road race, Chase Elliott is the favorite to take the checkered flag. The No. 9 car driver is the two-time defending champion at Watkins Glen and has six wins in his last nine road course starts.

              

Go Bowling at The Glen Info

Date: Sunday, August 8

Start Time: 3 p.m. ET 

TV: NBCSN 

Live Stream: NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com.

           

Odds

Chase Elliott: +200 (bet $100 to win $200)

Kyle Larson: +450

Martin Truex Jr.: +600

Kyle Busch: +750

Denny Hamlin: +1100

Joey Logano: +1200

Christopher Bell: +1500

William Byron: +2000

Kurt Busch: +2000

Ryan Blaney: +2500

Alex Bowman: +2500

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

         

Starting Lineup

Keselowski and Logano on front row as Penske starts 1-2-3 Sunday at Watkins Glen. Lineup: pic.twitter.com/V6ZbiFjzU9

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 4, 2021

          

Preview

Sunday's race at Watkins Glen is the first in two years at the track. The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since Elliott last won there in 2019, he has picked up two victories on the Charlotte Roval and one each at the Daytona road course, Circuit of the Americas and Road America. The reigning Cup Series champion won two of the past three road course races on the Cup Series circuit, and he took second in the other event during that span at Sonoma.

It is hard to pick against Elliott's recent dominance on the road courses, which is why he was assigned a rare low number on the odds board for a Cup Series race.

The road course ace should headline a majority of daily fantasy lineups. That might be the best way to use him from a fantasy or betting perspective on Sunday since he is -250 to finish inside the top three and -650 to land a top-10 finish.

Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson is the second-favorite to capture road course glory. He took eighth in NASCAR's last trip to Watkins Glen and has had one of the fastest cars this season. Larson owns a more favorable position on the starting grid than Elliott. He will go off in fourth alongside Ryan Blaney, while Elliott begins the race in 11th.

Each of the past four winners at Watkins Glen have started inside the top 10, so that could be a promising trend for all of Elliott's challengers.

Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano begin the race on the front row. Blaney, who drives the third Team Penske car, is right behind them in third. The Penske cars performed much better in upstate New York in 2019 than 2018. Two years ago, Blaney and Keselowski both finished inside the top 10. Two of the three cars were outside the top 10 in 2018.

Kevin Harvick could be the most intriguing driver to watch at the front of the grid. The No. 4 car driver picked up back-to-back top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen and is still looking for his first victory of the season.

Harvick could use a win to confirm his position in the 16-driver playoff field and, more importantly, to earn some confidence within his team to kick off the stretch run of the regular season. Harvick is not in danger of missing the playoffs. He and Denny Hamlin have significant leads in points and should get into the field without victories.

Aric Almirola's unexpected win at New Hampshire last time out took up one more playoff spot because race winners automatically qualify for the postseason. So the drama over the next four races will come between Richard Childress Racing teammates Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick, who are separated by five points.

Unless one of the two RCR drivers wins one of the next four races, they will be competing for a playoff berth, and every position on the grid will matter.

               

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The only question for Kyle Busch entering the final lap at Sunday's Explore the Poconos 350 was whether he would have enough fuel to finish the race. 

Spoiler alert: He did. 

RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE KYLE BUSCH ON HIS WIN AT POCONO! pic.twitter.com/HrrwjkzZVx

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 27, 2021

Busch beat Kyle Larson by a wide margin on Sunday, taking home his second win of the year. 

Kyle Busch wins his fourth career Cup race at Pocono, second win of the season, 59th career Cup Series win.

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 27, 2021

Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five. Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron were the stage winners.

But it was Busch, despite battling transmission issues throughout the day, who won after deciding against a late fuel stop. 

"The biggest thing was trying to time the restart right," Busch said on the NBC Sports broadcast after the race. "Leave pit road and come back around and be at full speed by the time the field takes the start/finish line. We were a little bit off on that. But it was all you could think about doing in that situation, just trying to think through every opportunity and every obstacle on you. That's just what we did."

"Can you get me a push truck?" - @KyleBusch @JoeGibbsRacing // @NASCAR // @PoconoRaceway pic.twitter.com/kK82RU9Jdz

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 27, 2021

KyBusch will need a push truck to get to victory lane as he has no clutch.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 27, 2021

Shoutout to Matt, the fuel guy.@KyleBusch // @JoeGibbsRacing // #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/tF6WkxUjE1

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 27, 2021

Busch spent much of the race trying to keep his car from popping out of gear, only to watch it get stuck in fourth gear and burn out the clutch. Through it all, he managed to lead 30 laps and steal the win.

So he was understandably jovial after the race:

How about that #RowdyNation! 🏁 @mmschocolate | #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/vu1WzWUIAt

— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) June 27, 2021

"Sometimes these races aren't always won by the fastest car," he told reporters.

While Busch managed to squeeze a win out of a tough situation, Larson struggled to overcome the day's adversities. 

"Seemed like every point of the race, everything that happened in the race, nothing went my way," he told reporters. "Restarts, just guys messing up in front of me, me getting shuffled out of the groove, bad lane choices on my part, everything didn't go my way."

So it goes. He'll be hoping luck is on his side next Sunday, July 4 at the Jockey Made in America 250 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race will be run at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

Alex Bowman earned his third win of the NASCAR Cup Series season on Saturday in a thrilling finish at Pocono Raceway. 

Kyle Larson looked to be on his way to a comfortable win with a lead of nearly one second over Bowman on the final lap. The No. 5 car blew a tire coming around the last corner, opening up the door for Bowman to steal the victory. 

RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE ALEX BOWMAN ON HIS NASCAR CUP SERIES WIN AT POCONO!

Wow. A flat tire for Larson ... pic.twitter.com/3y28N0lkys

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 26, 2021

Larson, who started the race from the pole position, was looking to become the ninth driver in NASCAR's modern era (since 1972) to win four consecutive events overall. He finished in the top three in each of the first two stages. 

If you include the June 13 All-Star event, Larson did come into Pocono riding a four-race winning streak. 

As a result of his tire giving out on the final lap, Larson had to settle for ninth place. This marked the first time he finished outside of the top two in a Cup Series race since the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 2. 

Bowman seemed to be as surprised as anyone by what happened on the final lap. 

"I don't even know what to think."

Hear from @Alex_Bowman after winning after race leader Kyle Larson crashed on the final lap. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/bv4a7oSXAR

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 26, 2021

If not for Larson's recent run of success, Bowman would probably be the talk of the circuit this season. His three wins are tied with Martin Truex Jr. for second-most this season. He also ranks third in the points standings with 513 after Saturday's victory. 

Despite the bittersweet ending to his day, Larson sounded like he was taking it all in stride during post-race press conference. 

How does Kyle Larson react to having a cut tire in the final lap? Here is some of his media center back-and-forth with us: pic.twitter.com/ZdGy4YC4Bl

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 26, 2021

Kyle Busch also benefited from Larson's last-lap tire fail. He wound up moving into second place, his best finish since winning at Kansas on May 2. The two-time Cup Series champion is starting to come alive with four top-10 finishes in the past five races. 

Rounding out the top five were William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. 

Truex's recent string of bad luck continued on Saturday with an 18th-place showing. He has finished outside the top 15 in five of the past six races. 

There won't be much time for anyone to rest. The 140-lap Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 will take place on Sunday. Chris Buescher, who finished 20th on Saturday, will start from the pole position.

Kyle Larson has two opportunities to add to his NASCAR Cup Series winning streak this weekend.

The No. 5 car driver sits on the pole Saturday for the first of two Cup Series events at Pocono Raceway.

Larson won three consecutive points races and took first at the NASCAR All-Star Race to cement himself as the front-runner to win the championship. He has the most victories on the Cup Series circuit this season, but he could be at a slight disadvantage at Pocono.

Points leader Denny Hamlin won two of the past three Pocono events, and Kyle Busch owns three victories at the track since 2017.

                   

Pocono Organics CBD 325 Info

Date: Saturday, June 26

Start Time: 3 p.m. ET 

TV: NBCSN 

Live Stream: NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com.

             

Odds

Kyle Larson: +215 (bet $100 to win $215)

Denny Hamlin: +750

Kyle Busch: +800

Kevin Harvick: +850

Chase Elliott: +900

William Byron: +1000

Martin Truex Jr.: +1100

Brad Keselowski: +1400

Ryan Blaney: +1500

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

            

Starting Lineup

Kyle Larson and William Byron will start up front for Saturday's Cup race at Pocono.
Starting lineup: https://t.co/5xSQVLGXgn pic.twitter.com/c5WBLE8cqu

— Jayski (@jayski) June 23, 2021

        

Preview

Larson's recent dominance is reflected in the odds for the Pocono Organics CBD 325.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver is a heavy favorite over Hamlin, Busch, Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott.

Larson carries the advantage of starting on the pole for Saturday's race, which is the first of two events in two days at Pocono. The starting lineup for Sunday's race will be inverted based off the top 20 finishers from Saturday.

Starting position has been vital at Pocono over the past decade. Fifteen winners between 2010 and 2020 started inside the top 10. Three of those champions started from the pole, with the most recent being Busch in 2017.

Larson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron will start on the front row. Byron is the only Hendrick driver not to taste victory during the team's five-race winning streak in points events. Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott have one win each.

The front row must be aware of the threat Harvick poses from the start out of the third starting position. Harvick won the first race at Pocono and took second behind Hamlin in the Sunday race in June 2020.

Hamlin took his victory from the 19th spot on the starting grid. He will have to use some of that experience to reach the front from position No. 10.

Busch could also be a contender from his fifth position on the grid. He captured back-to-back wins at Pocono in 2018 and 2019 and was fifth in the event Harvick won in 2020.

Hamlin, Harvick and Busch could all be viewed as better bets to win over Larson because of the value attached to them and their experience at the track.

Aric Almirola is the wild card to watch in both races. He finished in third and fifth at last year's Pocono races and is slated to start 11th for Saturday's race. Almirola sits at +5000 to win outright and +155 to finish inside the top 10. The latter may be the safer play because of how dangerous Larson has been over the past month.

                

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Racing Reference.

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Kyle Larson just keeps winning.

Larson won the first Cup Series race in Nashville since 1984 and the inaugural Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway during Sunday's 2021 Ally 400, outpacing Ross Chastain and the rest of the field. 

There wasn't much doubt about the outcome throughout the race, as he sprinted out to the lead in the early going, won the second stage and then managed during the third stage to complete another dominant performance.

CHECKERED FLAG: Not one, not two, but THREE wins in a row for @kylelarsonracin! pic.twitter.com/Ru5RNGbyVB

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

It was fitting since the biggest storyline coming into Sunday's race was whether Larson would win for the fourth straight time counting the All-Star race. He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway and the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Sean Montgomery of NASCAR.com noted Larson entered the Ally 400 a mere 190 laps away from his most-ever laps led for a single season, which is quite remarkable considering this was just race No. 17 out of 36.

Yet Larson and the rest of the field started behind Aric Almirola, who won the pole position and started just ahead of second-place starter Kyle Busch.

The Kyles swap positions after everything cycles through thanks in part to this aggressive move from @KyleBusch while entering pit road.

📺: NBCSN 📲: https://t.co/r61CT6B6jq pic.twitter.com/t11uoeQzR2

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

There were some developments in the first stage when Tyler Reddick spun out exiting pit road and Ryan Blaney's day came to an early end when he hit the wall. Justin Haley and Chris Buescher also hit the wall on the same turn at almost identical times, leading to a late caution in the stage.

The Nos. 77 and 17 go into the Turn 1 wall and the caution flies at @NashvilleSuperS. pic.twitter.com/BucMt3zw3e

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

While Larson continued his recent streak of impressive racing by battling Busch and jumping out to an early lead, Chase Elliott took advantage of that late caution and won the first stage.

BREAKING: For the first time since May 23rd, someone other than @KyleLarsonRacin wins a stage.

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

It wasn't long before Larson re-established himself in his familiar position out in front of the pack. He reached 100 laps led during the second stage, which marked the fourth time in seven races he has led triple-digit laps.

Other than Bubba Wallace spinning out with a flat tire, there wasn't much drama in the second stage with Larson shifting into takeover mode and clinching the stage victory with relative ease.

Did you know that a driver has never had 12 stage wins through 17 races? @KyleLarsonRacin just did that. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KwWWi2IMpx

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 20, 2021

The only question as the third stage progressed in the caution-filled race was if anyone would even challenge Larson as he set his own personal record for laps led in a season. If anything, he was battling debris on his own car more than he was the rest of the field, and even used J.J. Yeley to help remove it as he lapped the No. 51 car.

Valet garbage removal services offered at @NashvilleSuperS. pic.twitter.com/zuqqZ3W4Tl

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

When the driver who seemingly can't lose of late is using other competitors just to remove debris from his car, there probably isn't much of a question who is going to win.

Larson cruised through the finish line and continued his mastery of the 2021 schedule.

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its debut at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday.

The new stop on the circuit provides a different type of challenge for the drivers than other tracks because few racers have a history there. The 1.333-mile track has not hosted a NASCAR-sanctioned event since an Xfinity Series race in 2011.

Kyle Larson is the overwhelming favorite to take first place for the Ally 400. The No. 5 car driver is on a remarkable hot streak, and he typically thrives at tracks of this length.

Larson and the other competitors in the field have to wait until Sunday to set the starting grid. Qualifying is set to take place at 11:05 a.m. ET.

                    

Ally 400 Information

Date: Sunday, June 20

Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET 

TV: NBCSN 

Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app

               

Odds

Kyle Larson: +275 (bet $100 to win $275)

Martin Truex Jr.: +650

Chase Elliott: +700

Denny Hamlin: +850

Kyle Busch: +900

William Byron: +1200

Brad Keselowski: +1200

Kevin Harvick: +1300

Joey Logano: +1300

Alex Bowman: +1400

Ryan Blaney: +1600

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

           

Preview

There is no stopping Larson at the moment.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver added the NASCAR All-Star Race to his rapidly expanding trophy case last weekend and is on a three-race winning streak. He also took the checkered flag first at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and the Toyota Save Mart 350 on the Sonoma road course.

Larson's first victory of the season came in early March at Las Vegas, which has a similar-length track to Nashville.

The 28-year-old is known as an ace on 1.5-mile tracks, and he has become the driver to beat for the Cup Series championship. Larson is 47 points behind leader Denny Hamlin the standings entering Nashville, but he has an advantage over Hamlin with three victories to none.

Even though Hamlin is without a victory in 2021, he is in a good position to qualifying for the postseason.

There have been 11 race winners on the Cup Series circuit this season, which leaves five open playoff spots. Every first-place finisher qualifies for the 16-car postseason as long as more than 16 drivers do not win one competition.

With the second half of the season getting underway at Nashville, the playoff focus will become more intense. Hamlin and Kevin Harvick appear to be locks for the field of 16 based off points, but they would feel more secure with a victory.

Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher headline the collection of drivers who need victories to get into the postseason. Those three are 12th, 13th and 14th in the points standings, respectively, but if a few more new race winners emerge, their spots could come under threat.

Dillon produced a pair of top-10 finishes at Nashville when the Xfinity Series last visited in 2011. That history, however short, at the track could help Dillon get into a high position on the track Sunday and contend for a victory.

Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano are the active Cup Series drivers with Xfinity Series wins at Nashville. Although it's been 10 years since any of them raced at the track, that might be enough of an advantage for them to succeed Sunday.

Keselowski, Busch and Logano all have victories this season, so if any of them cross the finish line first, it would make life feel a bit safer at the back end of the points standings.

If Harvick finally breaks through, it would give him the security of a playoff spot while putting much more pressure on Dillon, Reddick, Buescher and others to come up with a win before the playoffs begins.

              

Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.

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Kyle Larson's hot streak continues as he held off Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott to win the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

He's also $1 million richer after cashing in on the lucrative purse.

CHECKERED FLAG: LARSON IS MONEY IN TEXAS!@KyleLarsonRacin wins $1,000,000 in the #AllStarRace at @TXMotorSpeedway! pic.twitter.com/q6DvtaeY1A

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 14, 2021

Larson's three victories are tied for most in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he was riding a two-race winning streak into Fort Worth. The 28-year-old also won the All-Star Race in 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so he was one of the top drivers to watch.

Larson justified the hype by running near the top of the pack for the bulk of the race.

Here are the winners from the first five stages:

• Round 1: Kyle Larson

• Round 2: Ryan Blaney

• Round 3: Alex Bowman

• Round 4: William Byron

• Round 5: Chase Elliott

The All-Star Race was devised almost explicitly to create as much drama and intrigue as possible. The stage breaks not only offered the drivers a chance to reset a bit but also reshuffled the running order to varying degrees.

Larson, for example, took the first round and got bumped back to 12th for his efforts after the leaderboard was inverted from Nos. 1-12 for the next round.

https://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway/status/1404233489688535044

The order for the start of the fifth round was determined by how the drivers had finished the preceding four rounds, thus requiring some math on the fly.

With the completion of the first four stages | segments, William Byron (17) and Kyle Larson (23) will start on the front row for the fifth stage of tonight's All-Star Race.

Chase Elliott (28), Ryan Blaney (33) and Denny Hamlin (35) round out the top-five starters in stage five. pic.twitter.com/G75A0Qc0Oy

— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) June 14, 2021

Elliott's pit crew collected a $100,000 prize with the fastest pit stop between the fifth and sixth rounds. All 21 drivers were required to pit and receive four tires, and the No. 9 car got back out before anyone else.

Congratulations to @chaseelliott's No. 9 @TeamHendrick crew! pic.twitter.com/30lXJkouju

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 14, 2021

The event culminated in a 10-lap sprint to Victory Lane.

Ryan Blaney came firing out of the gates on the inside and briefly led after the sixth round started. But Elliott surged past him on the outside with a little help from Larson drafting behind.

Like Blaney, Keselowski took the inside line to move past Elliott and Larson and into first.

Bad. Brad.

What a move by @keselowski to go to the #AllStarRace lead, but @KyleLarsonRacin has now taken it back! pic.twitter.com/BW4ysSrF8M

— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) June 14, 2021

And as with Blaney, Keselowski struggled to get clear of Larson and quickly handed the lead back to the No. 5 car. As the race got into the last few laps, the outcome wasn't much in doubt. Larson remained glued to the inside line, providing Keselowski with no path forward.

$1M IN THE BANK. RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE @KyleLarsonRacin ON HIS #AllStarRace WIN. pic.twitter.com/ZgZwpQXl4h

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 14, 2021

"Finishing second to the Hendrick cars right now is kind of an accomplishment," Keselowski said in his post-race interview. "They're just stupid fast."

Because of the race's structure, it's difficult for any one driver to dominate from start to finish. Having said that, Larson was the strongest in the field and more than earned the checkered flag.

With the All-Star Race in the books, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for the Ally 400. This is the series' first trip to Nashville since 1984, which was long before the construction of the superspeedway in 2001.

Larson has to lose at some point, so going four in a row will be difficult. On Sunday, he at least demonstrated why he might be the man to unseat Elliott as the series champion.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will be run at a new venue with a different format than in previous years.

Some of NASCAR's best drivers will compete for $1 million over 100 laps at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday night. 

Seventeen drivers are already in the field as race winners from the 2020-21 seasons, or previous All-Star Race and Cup Series champions. Four more competitors will be added through the All-Star Open. The three stage winners and a first-place finisher in a fan vote will move on to the main event. 

Chase Elliott is reigning champion of the event. The No. 9 car driver won the All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020. Prior to last year, the All-Star Race was primarily held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

           

NASCAR All-Star Race Info

Date: Sunday, June 13

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET 

TV: FS1

Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app

      

Preview

The 2021 edition of the All-Star Race comes with a handful of tweaks to the format, some of which are confusing to follow. 

The 100-lap race is broken down into six stages. Only green flag laps in every stage will count toward the lap total. 

The first four stages are 15 laps. The original starting lineup will be determined by a random draw. The second, third and fourth stages will have drivers line up through an inverted formula that was used at parts of the 2020 Cup Series season. 

Stage 5 is the longest of the six at 30 laps. The order for that stage will be determined by cumulative finish over the first four segments. 

During the fifth stage, each team must make a green-flag pit stop. The crew with the fastest pit stop will earn $100,000.

The sixth and final stage will be an all-out sprint to the checkered flag over 10 laps. The cars will be aligned for that segment based off Stage 5 finish. 

All of the race winners since the 2020 All-Star Race at Bristol automatically qualified for the field. Michael McDowell, Cole Custer and Christopher Bell are the biggest beneficiaries of that policy. 

Those three drivers were among some of the surprise winners on the NASCAR circuit over the last 12 months. McDowell and Bell won the first two races of the 2021 season at Daytona International Speedway. 

Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch clinched their spots in the All-Star field by winning at Texas. Dillon's win last July came in the first event after the All-Star Race at Bristol. 

Kevin Harvick could be viewed as one of the favorites to win since he owns wins in three of the last seven Cup Series trips to Texas. 

Harvick has not won in 2021 and a victory at the All-Star Race could be a boost into the second part of the season for his team.

The Hendrick Motorsports cars should be at the front as well. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman are two of the three drivers with multiple victories on the circuit this season, while Elliott and William Byron both have a win and double-digit top-10 finishes. 

Elliott and Larson are the last two victors of the All-Star Race, and based off their 2021 form, it would not be a surprise if they fought for the win on the final laps on Sunday.

        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.

Kyle Larson is the winner of the third NASCAR road-course race of the season, coming away with the victory at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday.

The win was his second consecutive, third of the year and the fourth straight victory for Hendrick Motorsports.

After winning the first two stages, Larson held on to his lead when it mattered most, maintaining command through a pair of late restarts and overtime to earn his second consecutive win.

CHECKERED FLAG: Three times a winner!@KyleLarsonRacin holds off his @TeamHendrick teammate for yet another 2021 win! pic.twitter.com/OQ4GueuCIl

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

Just as things looked like they'd finish with the two-stage leader crossing the finish line first, a caution gave everyone on the track a second chance to catch him with five laps to go.

A lot happened to bring out the caution.

Take a look for yourself ⬇️. pic.twitter.com/8ZKnfQ3mil

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

And as things restarted, another wreck forced overtime.

Cautions. Breed. Cautions. https://t.co/7Un3f3Z0VM pic.twitter.com/hRSjDp5Rp0

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2021

---

Order of Finish

1. Kyle Larson

2. Chase Elliott

3. Martin Truex Jr.

4. Joey Logano

5. Kyle Busch

6. Kurt Busch

7. Ross Chastain

8. Denny Hamlin

9. Alex Bowman

10. Ryan Blaney

Full results at NASCAR.com

---

Recap

Larson dominated through the early part of the race, coming away with wins on the first two stages to earn a pair of playoff points and further separate himself from the rest of the pack with his 11th stage win of the year.

Make that *11* stage wins for Larson now. https://t.co/nvgQdAi0e6

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 6, 2021

OK, get this...

Kyle Larson has 11 stage wins so far this season (16 races).

Last year's stage wins leader (Denny Hamlin) had 11 stage wins for the entire SEASON (36 races).

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 6, 2021

He took it all the way to the end to secure his second straight victory.

As for the other road-course winner, Chase Elliott finished the first stage in second place behind Larson. In Stage 2, he pulled in at fifth, behind Joey Logano, Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch.

He took control with 45 laps to go, passing Busch, who had the lead out of the restart in the final stage. The other Busch brother, Kyle, took second place shortly after.

Logano got in on the fun at the front briefly, but as things wore on, Elliott and Larson, who are Hendrick Motorsports teammates, traded the lead.

Kyle Larson was 4.3 seconds behind teammate Chase Elliott when taking second place. Larson is now 1.2 seconds behind his teammate as this run continues. That 5 is unbelievable today #NASCAR

— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) June 6, 2021

There's absolutely no stopping @KyleLarsonRacin today.

No. 5 to P1. pic.twitter.com/SlUWdvbTqO

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

Larson managed to maintain the lead with 11 laps to go, coming out ahead of a restart that followed a rough turn that shook up the top 10.

William Byron was knocked out of contention by the crash, which also involved Corey LaJoie, Kevin Harvick, Ross Chastain and more.

Turn 11 runs out of space quick at @RaceSonoma.

Some good runs get spoiled at the hairpin turn. pic.twitter.com/WWuopYFoSi

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

After a clean first stage, the final stages had their fair share of action.

The caution came out for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. early in Stage 2 after he drove into the wall, shortly after Tyler Reddick pitted because of tire smoke, and Ryan Blaney showed up with sudden fender damage.

Substantial damage for @Blaney 👀. pic.twitter.com/RLlKyE9UNX

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

A big issue for @StenhouseJr sends him into the wall and brings out the caution! pic.twitter.com/kTlfcc0KoZ

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 6, 2021

Christopher Bell, who has struggled since winning at the Daytona Road Course and hasn't finished in the top 10 in the last six races, also had some trouble early.

Christopher Bell is on pit road with no fuel pressure, reports @prnbrett. The hood is up on the 20 car.

— PRN (@PRNlive) June 6, 2021

The early issue cost him his standing too soon on a course that could have given him a chance to get back to his early season form.

Christopher Bell is actually still on the lead lap, but right in front of leader Kyle Larson. Competition caution on lap 10 as the field completes lap six #NASCAR

— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) June 6, 2021

He missed out on a high finish again, ending in 24th.

Bubba Wallace, who took a penalty in between the first and second stages for speeding on pit road, managed to climb his way back into the top 10 partway through the second stage. But after a flat tire, he fell back by a lap.

He worked his way back into the lead lap and finished the day in 14th.

Chase Elliott is NASCAR's road-course king.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver has five victories in his past seven road-course starts, but none of them occurred at Sonoma Raceway.

Because of the COVID-19 restrictions in place in California, the NASCAR Cup Series did not race at Sonoma during the 2020 season. Elliott has never won at the track, but he does own a pair of top-10 finishes at the road course.

Martin Truex Jr. won the past two Cup Series races at Sonoma in 2018 and 2019. He has challenged Elliott at most road-course events in recent years. Truex is the second-favorite to win behind Elliott, and there is a significant gap between the two drivers and the rest of the field on the odds board.

               

Toyota/Save-Mart 350 Info

Date: Sunday, June 6

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET 

TV: FS1

Live Stream: FoxSports.com or Fox Sports app

                  

Odds

Chase Elliott: +225 (bet $100 to win $225)

Martin Truex Jr.: +400

Kyle Busch: +700

Kyle Larson: +800

Denny Hamlin: +1000

William Byron: +1400

Joey Logano: +1600

Kevin Harvick: +1800

Ryan Blaney: +2000

Via DraftKings Sportsbook.

                       

Starting Lineup

Cup lineup for Sunday at Sonoma. Larson on the pole. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/OnSztczKzO

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 2, 2021

            

Preview

Elliott appears to be in a better spot to win than Truex on Sunday.

The No. 9 car driver starts on the front row alongside Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson and could take over the lead from the start.

Since 2009, all of the race winners at Sonoma started inside the top 14, and five of them began the race on the first three rows.

Truex won the past two Sonoma races from second and eighth, respectively. Three of the four cars that finished behind him lined up in the top 10.

Sonoma is the one road course Elliott has not yet conquered. He has two wins on the Charlotte Roval, two more at Watkins Glen, another at the Daytona road course and a triumph at the Circuit of the Americas.

Elliott's COTA win came in a shortened race that was plagued by weather issues for most of the time the drivers were on track. Fortunately for the drivers, they will deal with sunny conditions Sunday, per AccuWeather.

Larson is the driver to watch outside of Elliott and Truex. He starts on the pole, took second at COTA and he owns four top-10 finishes in his past seven Cup Series road-course starts.

The No. 5 car driver is one of three competitors with double-digit top-10 placings this season, and he is one of three drivers with multiple wins. Truex has found Victory Lane three times, and Alex Bowman has won twice.

If Larson extends his strong run of form into Sonoma, he could make a push toward the top of the points standings. He and William Byron are 76 points back of Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin could be worth a look at +1000 to win the race since he finished in the top 10 in his past two starts at Sonoma. He is one of six drivers to land inside the top 10 in the past two races at the track.

Erik Jones and Aric Almirola are the long shots from that group to consider from a betting perspective. Jones is +15000 to win and Almirola sits at +20000. The drivers are +350 and +450, respectively, to finish in the top 10.

If you do not want to take the risk of betting Jones or Almirola outright, you can still get great value for a top-10 finish even if one of the road-course aces takes the checkered flag.

                    

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from NASCAR.com.

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