Cup Mid-Race Report: Larson leads the pack at Bristol

What’s Happening?

Two stages down at  Bristol, the race initially had the look of a Ryan Blaney show at the drop of the flag, as he set the pace and held sway under green until Larson took it away from him. Blaney started from the pole in the No. 12 Discount Tire Ford and kept the field at arm’s length. But then the scene flipped against him on Lap 44. Blaney broke loose in Turn 1 while putting a lap on Shane van Gisbergen, and Kyle Larson slipped past to take control. From there, Larson made hay, sweeping Stage 1 and Stage 2. On Saturday, he had swept both stages in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and led 230 of 400 laps, only to come up short at the flag. This time, he has his sights set on closing the deal.

Here’s what went down in the first two stages at Bristol:

Mid-Race Report

• Stage 1 got underway with Ross Chastain tucked in behind Blaney after making up four spots, while Larson moved up five places to sit third. As the pack sorted itself out, Blaney stretched his lead from 1.128 seconds to 1.4 seconds. Larson moved past Chastain for second on Lap 29, and when Blaney lost grip on Lap 44, Larson pounced to grab the lead.
• The opening stage saw one caution, on Lap 62, when Brad Keselowski spun in Turn 2 from 22nd after contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Pit road then came alive. All lead lap cars, save for Chase Elliott in 21st and Josh Berry, ducked in for service. Larson won the race off pit road, with Blaney and Christopher Bell in tow, while Tyler Reddick was hit with a penalty for speeding on entry. The yellow held sway until Lap 69.
• Larson took Stage 1 and the 10 points that come with it. Bell followed for 9, Blaney took 8 in third, Chase Briscoe claimed 7, and Berry rounded out the top five with 6. It marked Larson’s first stage win of the season in the Cup Series and his eighth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
• By Lap 130, Larson had led 80 laps after starting eighth and kept a 1.75 average running spot. He spent 129 laps in the top five and all 130 inside the top 10. His best lap of 15.722 seconds, at 122.046 mph, came on Lap 6.
• Trouble struck again in Stage 2 on Lap 144, when Bell broke a toe link after a brush with the Turn 4 wall on the final lap and spun between Turns 1 and 2 from 26th, while Larson held the point and Denny Hamlin gave chase.
• On Lap 160, the fourth caution of the day flew when Shane van Gisbergen lost control in a similar way as Bell, collecting John Hunter Nemechek and Alex Bowman, while Todd Gilliland scraped through by a whisker after slowing in time.
• Larson lined up on the outside for the restart with Berry on the inside and wasted no time, clearing for the lead by Turn 1. Briscoe looked high on Berry in a bid for second as the field fanned out.
• By the end of Stage 2, Larson had the race by the scruff of the neck, posting a 1.42 average running spot. He logged 250 laps in the top five and all 252 in the top 10. He took the stage and another 10 points, with Blaney in second for 9, Hamlin third for 8, Carson Hocevar fourth for 7, and Briscoe fifth for 6.

Up to halfway, the race saw six lead changes among three drivers, with five cautions accounting for 34 laps under yellow. Larson has called the shots, leading 201 laps after starting eighth.

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