NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville results: Kyle Larson continues dominant summer with third straight win

It's four wins in the last four starts for the No. 5 team if you count the All-Star Race

Kyle Larson NASCAR Cup Series Nashville
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After years of being one of the best hotshoes in the NASCAR Cup Series, but one seemingly unable to close out races with a dominant car, Kyle Larson has finally mastered the art of finishing the job when he has the fastest car in the field at Hendrick Motorsports. Which has turned a frightening thought into a nightmare for the rest of the field.

After dominating in NASCAR's return to Music City by leading 264 of 300 laps, Kyle Larson was able to conserve enough fuel on a final long green flag run to win the inaugural Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Ross Chastain finished a career-best second driving Larson's old No. 42 car at Chip Ganassi Racing.

Ally 400 at Nashville top 10

  1. Kyle Larson
  2. Ross Chastain
  3. William Byron
  4. Aric Almirola
  5. Kevin Harvick
  6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  7. Daniel Suarez
  8. Kurt Busch
  9. Christopher Bell
  10. Joey Logano

Larson's win at Nashville is his third-straight Cup Series victory – not counting his victory in last week's All-Star Race – fourth overall this season, and the 10th of his career. Larson finished things off by doing a burnout down the entire front straightaway in front of a sold-out crowd, NASCAR's first since the 2020 Daytona 500.

"This crowd is awesome," Larson told NBC Sports. "I was gonna do something here (front straightaway), and I looked down there and was like 'Man, there's a lot of fans down there too. I need to go to the end.' We had enough rubber and enough fuel left over to do a good burnout there at the end ...Thanks everybody who's been a part of this team this year. I just hope we can keep it going."

Sunday's race, the first ever Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway and the first in Nashville proper since 1984, was defined largely by attrition and brake issues. 11 cautions flew during the day, with multiple drivers such as Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Cole Custer, and others suffering brake failures that either put them in the wall or out of the race. But a nearly 70-lap long green flag run to finish the race put a premium on fuel conservation, with most of the leaders having to back off and conserve gas.

While some benefited from the situation -- including Ross Chastain, who pitted under the final caution to get into his fuel window and was able to pass most all the leaders saving fuel -- others had to come to pit road shy of the finish, and Kurt Busch coasted to an eighth-place run after running out of fuel coming to the checkered flag.

Larson's third-straight win continues a Hendrick Motorsports monopoly on Victory Lane, as Hendrick cars have been the only ones to visit Victory Lane since mid-May. Hendrick Motorsports will have the opportunity to turn their five-race win streak into a seven-race streak, as the Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway next weekend for a double-header.

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Kyle Larson saves enough fuel to make it to the finish and wins the Ally 400 at Nashville. Third-straight win and fourth overall this season.

1. #5 - Kyle Larson
2. #42 - Ross Chastain 3. #24 - William Byron 4. #10 - Aric Almirola 5. #4 - Kevin Harvick 6. #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 7. #99 - Daniel Suarez 8. #1 - Kurt Busch 9. #20 - Christopher Bell 10. #22 - Joey Logano

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Five to go. Kyle Larson leads Ross Chastain by over five seconds.

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Ross Chastain now passes William Byron for second spot. Chastain has 5.7 seconds to make up on Kyle Larson with seven laps to go.

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Martin Truex Jr. has come to pit road.

Ross Chastain passes Kevin Harvick for third. If he hangs on, this will be the best finish of his career.

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10 laps to go. Kyle Larson leads William Byron by nearly six seconds as most of the leaders try and conserve fuel. Most cars -- with the exception of Ross Chastain -- are close on fuel.

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Chase Elliott has fallen out of the Top 10 and is simply trying to hang on. Team is hoping for a caution, and Elliott thinks he might *be* the caution.

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Close call between Kurt Busch and Ricky Stenhouse, who are racing for sixth. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain motors past Aric Almirola for fourth.

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Top 10 with 20 laps to go:

1. #5 - Larson
2. #24 - Byron 3. #4 - Harvick 4. #10 - Almirola 5. #42 - Chastain 6. #1 - Ku. Busch 7. #47 - Stenhouse 8. #9 - Elliott 9. #20 - Bell 10. #11 - Hamlin

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The long run has been to Ross Chastain's benefit, as he's running fifth and doesn't need to save fuel thanks to him pitting under a recent yellow. This from Chastain's team to him.

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Chase Elliott tells his team over the radio that he either has a loose right rear tire or a tire coming apart. Elliott has given up fifth to Ross Chastain and is now under attack from Kurt Busch for sixth.

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Brad Keselowski is having brake issues as a long green flag run continues. Keselowski is running 24th, the last car on the lead lap.

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Aric Almirola has moved up to fourth, 6.3 seconds back of leader Kyle Larson.
This would be Almirola's first Top 5 finish of the season and just his second Top 10 all year. A sixth place finish at Richmond has been the lone reprieve to what has otherwise been a terrible first half of the year.

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