2024 Pennzoil 400: Kyle Larson Reigns Over Victory Lane as Kyle Busch Fumbles the Bag at Las Vegas Home Track

Certain things are inevitable in life. And with the recent development, ‘Kyle Larson winning in Las Vegas’ seems to be one of them. The 2021 Cup Series champion defended his crown at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in style to edge 23XI Racing’s #45 Toyota driver Tyler Reddick in an engaging battle to the checkered flag. Having dominated the race, with wins in stage 1 and stage 2, the signs of a victory lane celebration were already in sight.

While Sunday’s outing in Sin City wasn’t as action-packed as last week’s thriller in Atlanta, it had its moments of brilliance and misfortune as well. With Larson’s victory taking the limelight, it was a successful outing for some while others were left wanting more from it, especially hometown hero, Kyle Busch.

Kyle Larson seals a second playoff spot for Rick Hendrick and Co.

The race began on an ominous note in Las Vegas. 2023 season finale driver Christopher Bell suffered a similar fate as Phoenix and kickstarted the race’s pit entries with a right rear tire malfunction. With smoke emerging from the rubbed tires, the #20 Toyota Camry driver couldn’t do much about it and was relegated to a poor track position of 35th.

Well, that didn’t play as much a spoilsport as one expected and the action continued to pour in. Soon after Bell’s unfortunate issue, Hendrick Motorsports’ superstar William Byron showed the world his credentials as a driver and a Daytona 500 champion. He passed eight cars in a single lap, as his antics included a dive bomb that allowed him to overtake four cars to be in the lead, in a single turn.

Having won the regular season race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023, Byron was well aware of how crucial pit stops can be and the challenge his teammate Kyle Larson possesses. However, that wasn’t enough to stop the #5 Chevy driver’s juggernaut at the track as he went on to win stage 1.

RFK Racing’s worries just worsened by a considerable amount. With Brad Keselowski struggling in the season’s opening races, the onus was on No.17 driver Chris Buescher to replicate his 2023 heroics. However, in the 29th lap, Buescher’s right front tire separated from the car and was sent rolling right into the middle of the track.

Owing to the dangerous conditions created, NASCAR decided to hand the No.17 crew with a suspension, albeit for two members. NASCAR will choose the No.17 pit crew members that will serve the suspension alongside a two-lap penalty for Buescher which adds to their pre-existent woes in 2024.

Eventual winner Kyle Larson had his shaky moments as well. In one of the concerning moments in stage 2, Larson encountered Ty Gibbs and the #54 Toyota in the pit lane and thankfully, the contact wasn’t significant enough to deny him a successive win at the race track. Instead, it just triggered a different fire in the 31-year-old as he went on to win stage two with considerable dominance.

Mastering the pit road is key to emerging victorious in Las Vegas. However, that wasn’t the case for Ross Chastain. Having started at the back of the pack due to a change of wraps before the race, #1 driver Ross Chastain was handed another penalty for crossing the speed limit on the pit road.

Considering the #5 Chevy team’s green flag spot on pit stop strategy, Kyle Larson didn’t have much difficulty in regaining lost leads. Be it defending champion Ryan Blaney or frenemy Denny Hamlin, the 31-year-old snatched his lead back aggressively throughout the three stages of the race and held off Tyler Reddick in the final lap to claim a third Cup Series win in Las Vegas.

Well, coming into the weekend, avid followers of the sport knew it was going to be a tale of the two Kyles. While Kyle Larson showcased his prowess, Las Vegas native Kyle Busch couldn’t capitalize on a brief lead to end his winless streak in the Cup Series.

The wait for a Las Vegas victory continues for Kyle Busch

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Busch took the lead on Sunday for the first time on lap 45. Passing Daniel Suarez for it, he was joined by eventual winner Kyle Larson and fellow veteran Martin Truex Jr on the front row. While he managed to fend off the duo for a fair period, a four-way battle for P1 ensued for a few laps until the Kyle duo steered clear in the 58th lap to stay ahead of Reddick by almost 3 seconds.

With such confident runs throughout the first stage, Kyle Busch could have imagined a reality with him in the victory lane. However, faulty pit stops returned to haunt him once again.

At Daytona, the No.8 crew’s lackluster display was the reason for multiple hindrances. Despite that, he managed to fight for the lead multiple times on the superspeedway.

But unlike Daytona, Las Vegas offers no respite for such errors. Having stayed close to the podium places throughout the race, Rowdy had more or less ensured a top-10 finish if not a win. However, in the 213th lap, Busch encroached the pit box and was handed a pass-through penalty. It was a crushing blow to his hopes of a win at the elusive race track.

Having not won a Cup Series race in his hometown since 2009, his words from a pre-race interview echoed in every fan’s mind. “It’s been, oh, so close, but no trophy.”

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