Larson races to his first Brickyard 400 victory after making late charge

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Larson left Indianapolis in May in the middle of one of the most agonizing days of his racing career.

In his return Sunday, Larson finished one of the most memorable races of his career with one of sports' more revered celebrations — kissing the bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 31-year-old Californian overcame an early, unscheduled pit stop by charging from 12th place into the lead over the final 32 laps. He won battles for the lead off the final two restarts and barely avoiding a third overtime to win his first Brickyard 400 under caution.

“Today was definitely meant to be for us with the way the strategy was working out and all that fell into place,” Larson said after jumping on the roof of his car and climbing through the fence to thank the roaring fans. “I just can’t believe it. It’s just surreal to win here.”

Perhaps it will help Larson forget just how miserable he was Memorial Day weekend when rain in Indianapolis and Charlotte, North Carolina, washed away his shot at completing the full 1,100 miles of the two races. He didn't even turn a lap in the Coca-Cola 600 after scrambling to fly in.

On Sunday, though, he rebounded with brilliant tactical racing and, yes, some good luck.

Larson was running third in the paint scheme he was supposed to have for the 600 when race leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel and pulled off the track just before the second-to-last restart. That put Larson in position to pull into the shorter inside lane, next to Ryan Blaney's second-place car, and Larson easily leapfrogged Blaney — just ahead of a five-car crash that brought a red flag and a second overtime.

This time, after needing an assist to get his No. 5 Chevrolet refired, Larson again beat Blaney on the inside and reached the finish line before another caution flag came out.

“I don't know what was driving him today other than he wanted to win the Brickyard 400,” said Jeff Gordon, who won five Brickyard 400s before rejoining the Hendricks team as an executive. “You could tell he was driving for a purpose.”

Pole winner Tyler Reddick wound up second as Blaney dropped to third.

Larson has now won three of NASCAR's four crown jewel races, all but the Daytona 500, and this one came in the first Cup race held on Indy's historic 2.5-mile since 2020. The last three covered 200 miles on the track's 14-turn road course.

His fourth win of the season also put him atop the Cup standings, ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, with four races left before the playoff begins.

The thrilling finish didn't come by happenstance, though.

Keselowski gambled he could run the final 59 laps without pitting for fuel — and he essentially did. What he didn't count on was the race going an extra seven laps. And Blaney had been trying to fend off the hard-charging Larson for several laps, even blocking his low line once, to stay in front.

“That’s a heartbreaker. We did everything right today,” said Blaney, who finished third after the fateful twist. “He was in prime position to win, and it just didn’t work out for us.”

But with most drivers in fuel-saving mode, Larson just kept pushing hard — making team owner and pace car driver Rick Hendrick nervous.

“He was coming through the field like a rocket," Hendrick said. "It was hard to pass, but he made it look a little bit easier to pass. Then I was worried when he got up to second or third, I started worrying about fuel. They said we had enough for one overtime, but we were holding our breath. But he put on a show. That's Kyle Larson.”

And now, even though Hendrick didn't give his approval Sunday, Larson told the crowd he wants to make amends for what happened in May by trying it all again.

“I wish we could have done both,” Larson said. “But, I think everything comes full circle and everything's meant to be.”

ODDS AND ENDS

Denny Hamlin won the first stage, his first ever at Indianapolis, and Bubba Wallace took the second stage, giving him 10 points as he tries to make the playoffs. It was Wallace's first stage win since 2022 and he finished fifth. Elliott wound up fourth.

QUICK SWITCH

The race was scheduled to be broadcast on NBC, but viewers who tuned into the network found something else — breaking news about President Joe Biden withdrawing from the presidential race.

NBC made the decision to briefly switch the telecast to USA Network, which also covered some of the weekend's festivities then went back to Cup coverage at the start of the race. The race also finished on USA Network after the red flag stoppage, again because of the breaking news.

BACK HOME AGAIN

Before the race, speedway owner Roger Penske and PPG announced they have extended and expanded their partnership for both the Cup and IndyCar Series.

PPG will continue to serve as the presenting sponsor of the Brickyard 400, as the paint and finishing supplier for the speedway and as a sponsor for all six Team Penske drivers — Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden and Will Power on the IndyCar side as well as Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano on the Cup side.

The partnership between PPG and Penske began in 1984.

UP NEXT

NASCAR takes next two weeks off as part of its Olympics break. The first of the final six races will be held Aug. 11 at Richmond, with a new tire compound.

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing