Kyle Larson continued his impressive 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season on Sunday with a win in the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. The win was Larson’s fifth victory of the season, and it moved him into a tie with Denny Hamlin for the Cup Series points lead.
Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott finished second after an eventful day that saw him start the race at the rear of the field after a pre-race inspection penalty. Martin Truex Jr. finished third, with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top-five.
Sunday’s race was the first NASCAR Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced NASCAR to move last year’s event. WGI announced it was a grandstand sellout for the sixth-straight NASCAR event at the track.
Larson, who started fifth, took control of the race on Lap 65 following a cycle of green flag pit stops. He was running second when he followed, then, race leader Truex Jr. down pit road for new tires and fuel. Larson’s crew got him through pit road ahead of Truex Jr. to set him up for the stretch run to the finish.
Elliott and Christopher Bell were penalized before the start of the race after failing pre-race tech inspection. Both drivers had to start the race from the rear of the field, and had their crew chiefs ejected.
Penske Racing drivers Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney started 1-2-3 for the initial green flag, with Keselowski grabbing the early lead from his teammates. Larson moved up from the fourth starting position to join Keselowski and Logano in an early three-car breakaway at the front of the field. Keselowski spun himself out of the lead in Turn 6 just before a Lap 10 competition caution. He made a complete spin and continued on, but pitted during the caution period to fall back to 21st.
Keselowski’s misfortune handed the lead to his teammate, Logano. Both Logano and Larson stayed out during the competition caution and continued to dominate the race until the end of Stage 1.
Truex Jr. assumed first place after the leaders pitted during the stage break. Truex led every lap of Stage 2 as he pulled away from Bell by over three seconds. The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, as well as most of the frontrunners, did not pit during the stage break, and they continued the pace the field past the race’s halfway point.
Elliott flat-spotted his tires when he jammed on the breaks going into Turn 1. This forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 30, which threw him off the pit strategy that most of the field was following.
Bell and Larson made contact while racing for second place on Lap 54, which sent Bell spinning in Turn 1 and gave Larson the runner-up position. Truex Jr. and Bell bowed out of the top-two spots on Lap 56 when both pitted for tires under green. This handed over control of the race to Hamlin, who stayed out until Lap 62.
When the green flag pit stop cycle ended, it was Larson ahead of Truex Jr. by about one second with 25 laps to go. Elliott pitted on Lap 60, and wound up third behind the leaders. He was initially eight seconds back of Larson, but he made up ground late in the race.
Elliott caught Truex Jr. and passed him for second with eight laps to go, but was still more than five seconds behind Larson at race’s end.