NASCAR Cup Season’s Top Race Winner, Most Popular Driver Both Out of Playoffs

Throughout the majority of NASCAR’s 2024 Cup Season Kyle Larson appeared unstoppable.

The California native won six of 35 races this season, double the number of six fellow competitors. He snared five poles, 14 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes and led 1,686 laps. However, when the checkered flag waved on the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Larson had failed to make the Championship Four.

“This whole Round of Eight has been a fight,” said Larson, who finished 11th at Las Vegas, 13th at Homestead and third at Martinsville.

Larson elected not to pit during the eighth caution period, then snatched the lead when the race restarted and immediately went back to yellow when Kyle Busch’s car lost a wheel entering turn three. Larson continued to lead when the final caution period ended, setting the pace for a total of 71 laps before being passed by Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott.

“I feel like we made the right pit call to give ourselves the best opportunity,” Larson said. “I actually thought that when Chase got to second, I thought he was going to drive right to me and pass me easily. I was surprised I held on as long as I did, so it gave me hope. But then we just fell off the last 30 laps or so.”

Mistakes Hurt Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott led five times for 129 laps in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway won by Ryan Blaney, but it wasn’t enough for the Dawsonville, Ga., native to record the victory he needed to advance to the Championship Four.

“I just made a couple mistakes there past halfway and got some damage on our car,” said Elliott, who finished 44 points below the cutline. “I think that hurt a little bit. Just little things started stacking up. I just didn’t manage the last run very well.”