Larson Dominates Bristol, Eliminates Truex, Keselowski

Kyle Larson captured the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, securing his spot in the Round of 12 and eliminating two-time champion Martin Truex Jr.

Kyle Larson's dominance at Bristol Motor Speedway continued on Saturday night, as he raced to a commanding victory and earned his way into the quarterfinal round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Larson, who started the race from the pole position, led 462 of the 500 laps, the most by a winner at Bristol since Cale Yarborough in 1977. His victory marked his sixth top-five finish in his last seven races at the high-banked concrete oval.

Larson Dominates Bristol, Eliminates Truex, Keselowski

Behind Larson, Christopher Bell finished second, followed by Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin, who all secured their spots in the next round. With only Joey Logano previously locked into the Round of 12, 11 drivers survived the first playoff elimination round: Larson, Bell, Bowman, Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe.

Two past champions, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski, were among those eliminated. Truex, who is retiring from full-time competition after this season, was penalized for speeding on pit road and finished 26th, while Keselowski struggled with pace and finished 30th.

Larson Dominates Bristol, Eliminates Truex, Keselowski

The race marked a departure from the spring event at Bristol, where tires wore out rapidly and forced numerous caution flags. On Saturday, however, teams were able to go a full fuel run of 180 laps, leading to lengthy green-flag runs and only three caution periods for incidents.

Denny Hamlin, who entered the race six points below the playoff cutoff, finished fourth and earned the second-most points on the night. Hamlin is now 15 points above the cutline entering the next round.

Larson Dominates Bristol, Eliminates Truex, Keselowski

Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton, both in their first Cup playoff appearances, were also eliminated. Gibbs finished 15th after a speeding penalty, while Burton finished 20th.

Daniel Suarez, who started the race 36 points above the cutoff, finished 31st but still advanced to the next round thanks to the penalties to Truex and Gibbs.

Kyle Larson's victory was a testament to his continued dominance at Bristol and his strong start to the playoffs. With the points reset entering the Round of 12, Larson will be among the favorites to advance deep into the championship race.