Kyle Larson beat Brad Keselowski by 3.1 seconds, and led a race-high 103 laps, en-route to winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Elk Grove, CA native picks up his seventh career win in his 227th start, snapping a winless streak that spans back to 2019. The driver of the number 5 car becomes the 20th driver to win for the long-time NASCAR Cup Series team Hendrick Motorsports.
"Such an awesome race car...this (win) is definitely special," Larson said during his post-race interview. "It's an honor to drive this car."
Kyle Busch finished third, Denny Hamlin fourth, and Ryan Blaney fifth. Martin Truex Jr, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Joey Logano, and Erik Jones rounded out the top 10.
The 28-year-old was quick to thank his car owner, Rick Hendrick, for the opportunity after "Mr. H" signed him before the 2021 season. Larson was let go by Chip Ganassi Racing, the previous team he drove for, last April for using a racial slur during an online racing event. The off-track event prohibited Larson from returning to the Cup Series for the remainder of the 2020 season.
Larson came into the weekend with nine straight second-place finishes on mile-in-a-half tracks in the Cup Series. With Byron winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Larson winning on Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports now has two drivers guaranteed a spot in NASCAR's Playoffs this fall.