CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson has punched his ticket to the Championship 4 by virtue of his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opening race of the Round of 8 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Larson led a race-high 133 laps and nabbed both stage wins en route to scoring his fourth win of the season. The 31-year-old driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is the only driver locked into the title round.
PHOTOS: See the scenes from victory lane for Kyle Larson, No. 5 team
William Byron finished seventh in the No. 24 Relay Payments Chevy and is second in the driver points standings. He is nine points above the elimination line with two races left to go in the three-race round.
It was a tough race for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 LLumar Chevy team. They started from the back of the field after going to a backup car and a late-race penalty on a restart led to a 32nd-place finish. The group is eighth in the owner standings and is 61 points below the elimination line.
Shifting to Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has four wins at the 1.5-mile track with Larson and Byron earning victories in the two most recent events at the Florida facility. In fact, Larson, Byron and Elliott have combined to lead 64.05% of the laps (342 of 534 run) in the past two races at Homestead-Miami.
RELATED: Byron says 'definitely us against ourselves' to reach Championship 4
Get the lowdown on how each of the Hendrick Motorsports playoff drivers and teams are positioned for the middle race in the Round of 8. Be sure to tune in to catch the action from Homestead-Miami on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
Kyle Larson, No. 5
POINTS POSITION: First with 4,084 points.
POSITION TO THE ELIMINATION LINE: Locked into the Championship 4.
PREVIOUS RACE RESULT: First at Las Vegas.
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI OUTLOOK: Larson’s win at Las Vegas has secured his spot in the Championship 4 for the second time in three seasons. In nine starts at Homestead-Miami, Larson has one win (2022), five top-five finishes, five top-10s and a 10.7 average finish. Larson’s 529 laps led are the fifth-most for him at any one track on the circuit. His two starts with Hendrick Motorsports at Homestead-Miami have resulted in two top-five finishes. This season on 1.5-mile tracks, the 31-year-old driver has a win, two runner-up finishes, four top-fives and 480 laps led. In the playoffs, Larson has been one of the strongest cars and has been in contention for the win late in six of the seven races. His 407 laps led in the playoffs are the second-most in the series.
LAST YEAR’S HOMESTEAD-MIAMI RESULT: Finished first.
William Byron, No. 24
POINTS POSITION: Second with 4,077 points.
POSITION TO THE ELIMINATION LINE: +9
PREVIOUS RACE RESULT: Finished seventh at Las Vegas.
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI OUTLOOK: In five starts at Homestead-Miami, Byron has one win (2021) and two top-five finishes. The first Cup win for the Byron-Rudy Fugle pairing came at this track, just three races into their partnership at the sport’s top level. The 25-year-old driver has been the best driver on 1.5-mile tracks this season with two wins (Las Vegas spring race and Texas Motor Speedway), four top-five finishes and an average finish of 4.83. In addition, he has led 284 laps and scored 254 points in those races. Byron has been remarkably consistent in the seven postseason races with one win (Texas), four top-five finishes, six top-10s and an average finish of 5.71.
LAST YEAR’S HOMESTEAD-MIAMI RESULT: Finished 12th.
No. 9 team
POINTS POSITION: Eighth with 4,007 points in the owner standings.
POSITION TO THE ELIMINATION LINE: -61
PREVIOUS RACE RESULT: Finished 32nd at Las Vegas.
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI OUTLOOK: In seven starts at Homestead-Miami, Elliott has two top-five finishes and three top-10s. His best result came in the 2020 race when he placed second. Elliott’s average finish of 9.71 is his best mark on any active 1.5-mile track on the circuit and the third-best mark in the field. Before a tough race at Las Vegas, the No. 9 team had been one of the most consistent in this stretch of the season. In the opening six playoff races, Elliott has five top-10 finishes, no finish outside of the top 11, an average finish of 8.00 and 226 points. Crew chief Alan Gustafson has a win at this track with Jeff Gordon in 2012.
LAST YEAR’S HOMESTEAD-MIAMI RESULT: Finished 14th.
OVERALL DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE
1-Larson: 4,084 points (LOCKED INTO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 WITH LAS VEGAS WIN)
2-Byron: 4,077 points
3-Martin Truex Jr.: 4,070 points
4-Denny Hamlin: 4,070 points
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5-Christopher Bell: 4,068 points
6-Tyler Reddick: 4,054 points
7-Ryan Blaney: 4,053 points
8-Chris Buescher: 4,047 points
OVERALL OWNER CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE
1-No. 5 team: 4,084 points (LOCKED INTO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 WITH LAS VEGAS WIN)
2-No. 24 team: 4,077 points
3-No. 11 team: 4,070 points
4-No. 20 team: 4,068 team
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5-No. 45 team: 4,054 points
6-No. 12 team: 4,053 points
7-No. 17 team: 4,047 points
8-No. 9 team: 4,007 points