CONCORD, N.C. — The NASCAR playoffs Round of 12 closed with a win for Kyle Larson at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Larson led 62 of the race's 109 laps and easily distanced himself from second place Christopher Bell. It's Larson's second win at the Charlotte Roval -- he won the 2021 race.
"I think this is the first time we've been [at the Roval] without crashing since we last won here," Larson said after the win. "I was in the [simulator] this week. It helped me get in a rhythm early on."
All four Hendrick Motorsports earned their way into the next round with solid points performances on Sunday and in the preceding two races. However, Alex Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet was disqualified for not meeting the minimum weight in post-race inspection. Joey Logano replaces Bowman's spot.
It would have been the first time a four-car team has put each car into the Round of 8.
Tyler Reddick was outside the playoff grid after a mid-race spin put him below 30th place. He raced his way back through the field to finish 11th, which left him four points ahead of Joey Logano for the final spot before Bowman's penalty.
"[My car] was absolutely destroyed [after the spin,]" Reddick said. "We made it a lot better for stage three... You gotta stay calm and stay focused."
Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott are the other contenders in the Round of 8.
Shane Van Gisbergen started on the pole and dominated the early stages of the race. Larson followed close behind as the field ran mostly single file.
Reddick won the first stage after pit strategy shuffled him to the lead. He was spun out just a few laps later in an incident with Denny Hamlin, his 23XI Racing car owner, and fell well below the playoff cutline.
Pit stops became a key factor at the end of the first two stages as many playoff drivers opted to maximize stage points. Logano had 17 stage points, Elliott grabbed 15 stage points, and Reddick earned 10 stage points.
Other playoff drivers missed out on stage points and were all but eliminated from playoff contention during the race. Chase Briscoe's day ended after a crash on lap 40 with Austin Dillon damaged his car beyond repair. Daniel Suárez ran around the top 10 in the early goings but suffered brake problems after Bubba Wallace hit him on lap 48.
Alex Bowman won the second stage, all but assuring his spot into the next round of the playoffs before he failed post-race inspection.
Larson proved to be the dominant car after pit stops cycled through in the final stage. He distanced himself from Bell in the closing laps and won by over one second.
Byron, Austin Cindric, and Elliott rounded out the top five. Van Gisbergen finished seventh. A.J. Allmendinger, another Roval favorite, finished sixth.
The NASCAR Cup Series is next in action on Sunday, Oct. 20 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson is the defending winner.
