Race Results

NASCAR Cup Series

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500

Texas Motor Speedway

October 17th, 2021

Race #33 of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Season

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Laps Scheduled: 334
Miles Raced : 501.0
Time of Race : 03 Hours 42 minutes 54 seconds
Average Speed: 134.859 mph
Margin of Victory : 00.459 seconds
Cautions: 11
Caution Laps: 55
Lead Changes: 8
Cars in Race : 39
Finished On Lead Lap: 15 (38%)

Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane — Fort Worth, Texas - October 17th, 2021: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo by Jared C Tilton | Getty Images

FIN	ST	Car #	Driver	Make	TOT PTS	F PTS	B PTS	PO PTS	Laps	Led	x Led	S1	S2	STUS
1	1	5	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	58	40	18	6	334	256	3	3	1	Running
2	12	24	William Byron	Chevrolet	50	35	15	0	334	55	3	5	2	Running
3	11	20	Christopher Bell	Toyota	34	34	0	0	334	0	0	0	0	Running
4	7	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford	40	33	7	0	334	0	0	10	5	Running
5	24	4	Kevin Harvick	Ford	39	32	7	0	334	0	0	0	4	Running
6	4	12	Ryan Blaney	Ford	48	31	17	0	334	0	0	2	3	Running
7	6	9	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	33	30	3	0	334	0	0	8	0	Running
8	3	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	40	29	11	1	334	20	1	1	10	Running
9	9	8	Tyler Reddick	Chevrolet	32	28	4	0	334	0	0	9	9	Running
10	19	99	Daniel Suarez	Chevrolet	27	27	0	0	334	0	0	0	0	Running
11	2	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	34	26	8	0	334	2	1	7	7	Running
12	21	43	Erik Jones	Chevrolet	25	25	0	0	334	0	0	0	0	Running
13	13	21	Matt DiBenedetto	Ford	24	24	0	0	334	0	0	0	0	Running
14	15	3	Austin Dillon	Chevrolet	23	23	0	0	334	0	0	0	0	Running
15	26	14	Chase Briscoe	Ford	30	22	8	0	334	0	0	6	8	Running
16	17	1	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	33	21	12	0	332	0	0	4	6	Running
17	16	34	Michael McDowell	Ford	20	20	0	0	332	0	0	0	0	Running
18	22	10	Aric Almirola	Ford	19	19	0	0	331	0	0	0	0	Running
19	20	41	Cole Custer	Ford	18	18	0	0	330	0	0	0	0	Running
20	29	7	Corey Lajoie	Chevrolet	17	17	0	0	329	0	0	0	0	Running
21	10	17	Chris Buescher	Ford	16	16	0	0	327	0	0	0	0	Accident
22	35	78	BJ McLeod	Ford	0	0	0	0	324	0	0	0	0	Running
23	38	66	David Starr	Ford	0	0	0	0	323	0	0	0	0	Running
24	36	15	Garrett Smithley	Ford	0	0	0	0	321	0	0	0	0	Running
25	8	19	Martin Truex Jr	Toyota	12	12	0	0	320	1	1	0	0	Accident
26	33	52	Josh Bilicki	Ford	0	0	0	0	319	0	0	0	0	Running
27	39	13	Timmy Hill	Toyota	0	0	0	0	317	0	0	0	0	Running
28	25	42	Ross Chastain	Chevrolet	9	9	0	0	311	0	0	0	0	Running
29	28	38	Anthony Alfredo	Ford	8	8	0	0	299	0	0	0	0	Accident
30	5	22	Joey Logano	Ford	7	7	0	0	298	0	0	0	0	Engine
31	30	0	Quin Houff	Chevrolet	6	6	0	0	59	0	0	0	0	Suspension
32	18	23	Bubba Wallace	Toyota	5	5	0	0	38	0	0	0	0	Accident
33	14	48	Alex Bowman	Chevrolet	4	4	0	0	36	0	0	0	0	Accident
34	27	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Chevrolet	3	3	0	0	31	0	0	0	0	Accident
35	31	6	Ryan Newman	Ford	2	2	0	0	31	0	0	0	0	Accident
36	23	37	Ryan Preece	Chevrolet	1	1	0	0	30	0	0	0	0	Accident
37	32	77	Justin Haley	Chevrolet	0	0	0	0	30	0	0	0	0	Accident
38	34	51	Cody Ware	Chevrolet	0	0	0	0	30	0	0	0	0	Accident
39	37	53	Joey Gase	Ford	0	0	0	0	29	0	0	0	0	Accident

Race Infractions

Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

Driver	Infraction	Penalty	Lap	Lap Assessed	Flag
David Starr	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Corey Lajoie	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Chase Elliott	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Cody Ware	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Garrett Smithley	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Justin Haley	Pre-Race to the Rear Unapproved adjustment	Tail End	0	0	White
Chase Briscoe	Pre-Race to the Rear Multiple Inspection Failures	Tail End	0	0	White
Kyle Busch	Speeding on pit road	Tail End	26	30	Yellow
Kyle Busch	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	29	30	Yellow
Aric Almirola	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Ryan Newman	Pitting before pit road is open Garage	Tail End	31	0	Yellow
Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Pitting before pit road is open Garage	Tail End	31	0	Yellow
Alex Bowman	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Ryan Preece	Pitting before pit road is open Garage	Tail End	31	0	Yellow
Cody Ware	Pitting before pit road is open Garage	Tail End	31	0	Yellow
Ross Chastain	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Ross Chastain	Speeding on pit road	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Bubba Wallace	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Bubba Wallace	Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Cole Custer	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Josh Bilicki	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Josh Bilicki	Improper fueling	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Anthony Alfredo	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	31	39	Yellow
Brad Keselowski	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Kurt Busch	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Kyle Busch	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
David Starr	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Timmy Hill	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Alex Bowman	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Ryan Blaney	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Corey Lajoie	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Chris Buescher	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Quin Houff	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	37	39	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Passing on a start or restart	Pass Thru	39	43	Green
Quin Houff	Passing on a start or restart	Pass Thru	39	43	Green
Chris Buescher	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	104	112	Green/Yellow
Aric Almirola	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	106	112	Yellow
Aric Almirola	Crewmember(s) over the wall too soon	Tail End	106	112	Yellow
Michael McDowell	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	106	112	Yellow
Garrett Smithley	Tire violation	Tail End	108	112	Yellow
Corey Lajoie	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	209	216	Green/Yellow
Aric Almirola	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	211	216	Yellow
Aric Almirola	Speeding on pit road	Tail End	211	216	Yellow
Timmy Hill	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	212	216	Yellow
Daniel Suarez	Speeding on pit road	Tail End	212	216	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	274	280	Yellow
Aric Almirola	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	278	280	Yellow
BJ McLeod	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	278	280	Yellow
Timmy Hill	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	303	304	Yellow
Ross Chastain	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	303	304	Yellow
Garrett Smithley	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	305	309	Yellow
Denny Hamlin	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	314	318	Yellow
Chase Briscoe	Pitting before pit road is open	Tail End	331	332	Yellow

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Race Fast Facts

Texas Motor Speedway
17th Annual Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500
Race Winner: Kyle Larson
Age: 29
Team : No. 5 - HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
Owner: Rick Hendrick
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Kyle Larson won the 17th Annual Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, his 14th victory in 257 Cup Series races.
This is his eighth victory and 24th top-10 finish in 2021.
This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 15 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
William Byron (second) posted his third top-10 finish in eight races at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his 18th top-10 finish in 2021.
Christopher Bell (third) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Texas Motor Speedway.
Chase Briscoe (15th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Larson leads the point standings by 51 points over Ryan Blaney.

Race Recap

Kyle Larson secures spot in Championship Four after dominant Texas win

October 17th, 2021

By Holly Cain - NASCAR Wire Service

The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway had dramatic ups-and-downs all Sunday afternoon with the victorious exception of Kyle Larson, who absolutely dominated the race – leading 256 of 334 laps and holding off the field on seven different re-starts in the final 125 laps alone.

Larson's win by .459-seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron was his series best – and career best – eighth of the season and 14th of his career. Most importantly, it punched his ticket into the Championship Four at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 7 – the first time in the 29-year old Californian's career he will get to race for the NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy.

"This is unreal," a smiling Larson said. "I knew we had a good shot to win today. Our car was amazing, probably the best 550-package, intermediate car we've had all year.

"This is so cool. And we get to race for a championship in a couple weeks. This is crazy."

With a two-lap shootout to settle the checkered flag, the end of the race was dramatic up front. For much of the day, it was disastrous just behind. A 12-car incident on Lap 32 eliminated nine cars early on.

Playoff drivers Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. all suffered late race problems that impacted the championship standings with only two races remaining now to decide which three drivers join Larson in that Championship race at Phoenix.

Logano's No. 22 Team Penske Ford was sidelined after suffering a rare engine problem and both Hamlin and Truex were involved in collisions. Logano finished 30th – worst among the eight Playoff drivers. Hamlin's No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota soldiered on despite the heavy damage in two incidents and he finished 11th. Truex's No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was unable to finish the race after a hard hit in Turn 4 following a collision with Daniel Suarez. Truex finished 25th.

All these incidents were part of rapid-fire caution periods in the final third on the race; 11 on the day plus an 11-minute red flag. And on each ensuing re-start – no matter which driver was directly behind him – Larson was able to pull away and hold the lead.

"I just got good pushes from behind me, really," said Larson, who also added a series best 16th stage win.

"I tried to stay patient on the throttle to keep them to my back bumper and thankfully, I was able to just barely clear them every time going into [Turn] 1 and not have to fight off [Turn] 2.

"So thanks to William [Byron], Tyler [Reddick] and [Brad] Keselowski, anybody who was behind me, especially Brad on that last restart."

Ironically, the only member of the Joe Gibbs Racing team not still Playoff-eligible, Christopher Bell, finished best among his teammates Sunday, taking third place just ahead of Penske Racing's Keselowski and Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick.

Penske driver Ryan Blaney, Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott, JGR's Kyle Busch, Richard Childress's Tyler Reddick and Trackhouse Racing's Suarez rounded out the Top-10.

"It's all about the push and I think here at Texas the shortest lane kind of wins out because of the way the track separates going into Turn 1, the Axalta Chevy was fast all day just never got control [of the re-starts]," Byron said. "I think he [Larson] was definitely better than us the first stage and I was right there with him the rest of the time, but it was just clean air basically.

"Congrats to those guys, Kyle really deserves it. They've been awesome all year, flawless on pit road and on pit calls."

Despite all the drama, the Playoff picture remains largely the same as when the drivers started the race. Larson's win locks him into the Championship Four. Blaney is second followed by Hamlin and Kyle Busch (who won Stage 1) among the top four positions.

Defending series champion Elliott is fifth, eight points behind Busch. Keselowski is sixth (-15) followed by Truex (-22) and Logano (-43).

"Just a bummer, what do you do, this is the first time we've blown a motor in a really long time," Logano said from the garage after retiring early.

"We have to move on," the 2018 series champion added. "It is what it is now. We can't change it. Not many points today, so that is a bummer. We will be fighting from here."

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Kansas Speedway for next Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Logano won the Playoff race there last year. Kyle Busch won at the track in May. And Hamlin and Logano lead all active drivers with three wins each at Kansas.