{"id":45050,"date":"2024-03-23T22:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-24T03:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=45050"},"modified":"2024-03-23T22:08:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T03:08:02","slug":"kyle-larson-wins-in-an-action-packed-dash-to-the-finish-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/23\/kyle-larson-wins-in-an-action-packed-dash-to-the-finish-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Larson wins in an action-packed dash to the finish line"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on March 23, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Holly Cain<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Wire Service<\/span>  <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Kyle Larson was ultimately both patient and smart taking the lead on the final overtime lap to win an aggressive Featured Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the first road course test for the series this year that earned an \u201cA\u201d for high-drama and close competition.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on March 23, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill were duking it out for the lead \u2013 and pushing each other high off the race line as the field approached the checkered flag. With those two fending each other off, Larson drove his No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet low around both and was able to pull away to a 1.215-second victory  – the only lap the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ led all day around the 20-turn 3.51-mile road course.<\/p>\n

Van Gisbergen finished second in the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevy but was accessed a 30-second penalty for exceeding track limits in that last lap battle with Hill, which ultimately put him in 27th. So Hill, driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet officially is scored runner-up.<\/p>\n

Larson was all smiles climbing out of car, conceding he wasn\u2019t surprised things got so aggressive in the end. He was one of the few cars \u2013 and only one among the leaders \u2013 to drop into pit lane on the final caution to get gas and had worked his way back up front. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels really special because seems like every time we\u2019ve run the 17-car \u2013 any of us four drivers \u2013 we\u2019re always fast on track and somehow give it away,\u2019\u2019 Larson said. \u201cToday I was definitely not the fastest, but we were patient. I knew the 21 [Hill] had shoved SVG [Van Gisbergen] through [turn] one and if he got to him it could get dicey.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on March 23, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was just trying to be patient. I was thinking when to make my move and when I saw him shoving him through [turns] 15 and 16, I thought this could get good and thankfully I cleared them off in that corner. Pretty crazy. Just wild there. \u2026 Really cool, just awesome to win here at COTA.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Neither Van Gisbergen nor Austin Hill were too happy with the final outcome \u2013 both their cars damaged from the aggressive beating and banging on the final lap. Asked if he would speak to Hill about the racing, Van Gisbergen said, \u201cYeah, I guess so.\u2019\u2019 But he was mostly positive about having a chance to win in only his fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a crazy race and the car got better and better,\u2019\u2019 Van Gisbergen said. \u201cOn that last restart he [Hill] just drove through me in [turn] one. I guess I stood up for myself. But it was pretty awesome racing with [teammate]  A.J. [Allmendinger] and in the end just turned into a mess. That\u2019s how it is. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really fun. Wish I could have gotten through to the lead, but the car [Larson] just snuck through there. He was driving really well. A lot of fun.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, and Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 WeatherTech Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas on March 23, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

While Van Gisbergen managed a smile for the post-race television interview, he definitely had to battle all afternoon – including with his Kaulig Racing teammate A.J. Allmendinger, a two-time winner of this COTA Xfinity Series race and the series\u2019 best active road course driver. <\/p>\n

They battled head-to-head for the final laps of the regularly scheduled race only for Allmendinger to get swept up and out in a three-wide attempt for the lead in Turn 1 during the first green-white-checkered flag period. He was running fifth at the time of the final caution that forced a second overtime start and ultimately finished 10th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

John Hunter Nemechek finished third, reigning series champion Cole Custer was fourth and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top five. Rookie Jesse Love, Austin Green, last week\u2019s winner Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer and Allmendinger rounded out the top 10.<\/p>\n

It was a particularly impressive day for Green, son of former Xfinity Series champion David Green, finishing eighth in his very first series start.<\/p>\n

Big Machine Racing driver Kligerman earned his first stage win of the year claiming the Stage 1 victory.  Brandon Jones seemingly won Stage 2 only to receive a penalty for cutting Turn 5 on the last lap of the stage. Second-place Stewart-Haas Racing\u2019s Riley Herbst was instead awarded the Stage victory \u2013 his first of the season.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to competition next Saturday with the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Chandler Smith is the defending winner \u2013 earning his career first Xfinity Series trophy there last Spring.<\/p>\n

Interview:<\/h3>\n

NXS Race Winner Kyle Larson (No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) –<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Focused Health 250<\/strong><\/p>\n

Circuit of The Americas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Austin, Texas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, March 23, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

                1. (1)  Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                2. (11)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                3. (20)  John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, 50.<\/p>\n

                4. (8)  Cole Custer, Ford, 50.<\/p>\n

                5. (12)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                6. (14)  Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                7. (25)  Austin Green, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                8. (4)  Chandler Smith, Toyota, 50.<\/p>\n

                9. (10)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                10. (5)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                11. (17)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                12. (30)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                13. (15)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                14. (27)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 50.<\/p>\n

                15. (29)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                16. (18)  Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                17. (6)  Sage Karam, Toyota, 50.<\/p>\n

                18. (31)  Brad Perez, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                19. (24)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                20. (34)  Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                21. (22)  Daniil Kvyat, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                22. (36)  Blaine Perkins, Ford, 50.<\/p>\n

                23. (35)  Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 50.<\/p>\n

                24. (3)  Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 50.<\/p>\n

                25. (33)  Patrick Gallagher, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                26. (26)  Alex Labbe, Toyota, 50.<\/p>\n

                27. (2)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                28. (37)  RC Enerson, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                29. (32)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 50.<\/p>\n

                30. (21)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 49.<\/p>\n

                31. (23)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, Suspension, 48.<\/p>\n

                32. (7)  Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 47.<\/p>\n

                33. (38)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Accident, 45.<\/p>\n

                34. (19)  Riley Herbst, Ford, Accident, 45.<\/p>\n

                35. (16)  Ed Jones, Toyota, Accident, 42.<\/p>\n

                36. (13)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, Accident, 36.<\/p>\n

                37. (28)  Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, Suspension, 33.<\/p>\n

                38. (9)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Overheating, 24.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.374 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 21 Mins, 21 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.354 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  4 for 9 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  13 among 8 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   S. Van Gisbergen # 1-9;A. Allmendinger 10-11;P. Kligerman 12-15;A. Allmendinger 16-27;S. Van Gisbergen # 28;B. Jones 29;R. Herbst 30-31;A. Allmendinger 32-37;S. Van Gisbergen # 38-44;T. Gibbs(i) 45;S. Van Gisbergen # 46-48;A. Hill 49;K. Larson(i) 50.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  AJ Allmendinger 3 times for 20 laps; Shane Van Gisbergen # 4 times for 20 laps; Parker Kligerman 1 time for 4 laps; Riley Herbst 1 time for 2 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Larson(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Ty Gibbs(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Austin Hill 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 48,8,26,31,98,21,35,16,92,97<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 98,00,16,17,97,35,39,92,19,81<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain NASCAR Wire Service   Kyle Larson was ultimately both patient and smart taking the lead on the final overtime lap to win an aggressive Featured Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the first road course test for the series this year that earned an \u201cA\u201d for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":45054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38,11],"tags":[39,225,16,181],"class_list":["post-45050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-circuit-of-the-americas","category-nascar","tag-circuit-of-the-americas","tag-kyle-larson","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-2107894406-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1687&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-bIC","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45059,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45050\/revisions\/45059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}