Kyle Larson closes out dominant Homestead win.
It certainly happened in an odd way. Another caution led the entire field to head down pit road, where Truex seemed to make the move to slow for his pit box late. Larson did not check up, leading to contact with Truex and Truex spinning backwards into his own pit box. Larson held the lead without a penalty on the restart, then pulled away to win the race.
Ross Chastain finished second, with Denny Hamlin joining Chastain as the only other Round of Eight driver to score a top ten today. For just about everyone else looking to advance to the Championship Four, the day was catastrophic. Blaney struggled to 17th after his late spin, turning what should have been a major race in his push for a first-ever career Championship Four appearance into a wasted opportunity. Christopher Bell, well behind after a disappointment of his own last weekend and in desperate need of major points or a win today, finished just 11th. Hendrick teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott finished just outside the top 10, too.
Heading into the elimination race at Martinsville, only Briscoe and Bell are so far behind the cutoff line that they will likely need a race win. Ryan Blaney will need a particularly strong race, while Ross Chastain is in a strong position to advance with a solid race of any sort. Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin are all within 11 points of either side of the cutoff line, while Joey Logano has already advanced with his race win last weekend.
Those cuts will be made after next Sunday's race at Martinsville. Historically, the track's Round of Eight races have been a unique and unpredictable spectacle.