NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington results: Martin Truex Jr. dominates to take his third checkered flag in 2021

Truex is the only Cup Series driver to win more than once this season

On NASCAR's Throwback Weekend, Martin Truex Jr. threw back to the days of a single car and driver having the field completely covered, with as firm a dominating performance as Darlington Raceway has ever seen.

Martin Truex Jr. paced the field for 248 of 292 laps and held off a late-race challenge from Kyle Larson to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington, earning his third win of the 2021 season and the 30th of his career. Larson finished second, followed by Kyle Busch, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Newman. Buescher was the last car to finish the race on the lead lap.

Truex ran a throwback to the matte black cars he raced at Furniture Row Racing from 2014 to 2018, and his car performed much like his old Furniture Row cars did during his championship-winning season of 2017.

"We've won a bunch of stages here in the past couple of years, and always Lady Luck got us - Track position, it'd be one thing or the other," Truex told Fox Sports after the race. "... Really cool throwback to Furniture Row. Hopefully [Furniture Row car owner] Barney Visser's out there watching ... This one's for Furniture Row."

Truex first took the lead early in the race and held it for much of the day, winning stage two by more than 14 seconds. But he had to work for it at the end, as Kyle Larson cut the margin down to under half a second as Truex began to lap cars up into the top 10. Truex was eventually able to clear lapped traffic, and drove away after Larson's car faded.

"I actually had an opportunity to get by him in the middle of [turns] one and two, but I thought I'd stay patient and maybe get him to use his stuff up. But he was just a little bit better than I was on the long runs," Larson told Fox Sports. "Just wish maybe I could have taken advantage of that opportunity, but [I] thought it was gonna play out a little differently."

The return of a low downforce, high horsepower aerodynamic package to Darlington left drivers simultaneously raving about and struggling with the handling of their cars, and the early stages of the race featured drivers on the edge of control. The first half of the race saw several incidents occur, including three separate ones that eliminated Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, and Kurt Busch.

After taking the lead from Kyle Busch early on, Truex spent much of the day unchallenged at the front of the field. No other driver besides Truex led more than 10 laps, with Kevin Harvick and Ross Chastain - who ran an alternate tire strategy at the end of stage one - leading 10 apiece.

With 12 races now in the books, Martin Truex Jr. is the only driver in the Cup Series this season to have won more than one race. Truex had previously won at Phoenix and Martinsville, both races which ran a low downforce/high horsepower package.

After their first of two trips to Darlington this weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series moves on to another tough track next week when they visit The Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway.

[May 9, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Martin Truex Jr. dominates the Goodyear 400 to score his third win of the season.
Kyle Larson finishes second, followed by Kyle Busch, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Newman.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:56 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Larson makes a DARING pass, splitting Tyler Reddick and Ryan Newman three wide in turns one and two and passing both.

He's clear and will try to chase Truex down with 6 to go.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:55 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Martin Truex Jr. has gapped Kyle Larson again, but he's run up on Ryan Newman and Tyler Reddick on the tail end of the lap lap. 10 to go.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:52 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Larson has closed the gap to under four tenths to Truex. 15 to go.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:50 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Larson made a charge at Martin Truex for the lead but has fallen back. He's about eight tenths back of the race lead with just under 20 laps to go.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:44 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Larson is making up major time on Martin Truex with 30 to go. Might be the most serious challenger Truex has had all race.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:41 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Pit road penalty for Joey Logano. He'll have to come back after being too fast entering the pits.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:40 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Update on J.J. Yeley, as he comes to pit road with a right front tire down several laps after hitting the wall. Doesn't affect the race as the frontrunners all begin another round of pitstops.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:37 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

J.J. Yeley smacked the wall coming off Turn 2. Significant contact but Yeley continues on, running five laps down in 28th.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:32 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Larson has made his way into the picture, as he's passed Kyle Busch for second and now gives chase to Martin Truex.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:26 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Alex Bowman had a left rear tire rub and has come to pit road.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:22 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Denny Hamlin isn't happy with his car as another round of green flag pit stops begins.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:15 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Update on Erik Jones, who is two laps down after his unscheduled pit stop.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:11 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Unscheduled pit road for Erik Jones after contact with the wall. He had just gotten the free pass under the last caution.
Jones had never finished outside of the Top 10 at Darlington, and won the Southern 500 in 2019.

[May 9, 2021 at 6:10 pm ET · Steven Taranto]

Kyle Busch has picked up some debris on the front of his car. He's running just under a second back of Martin Truex in second.