Kyle Larson, driving the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, claimed his series-leading 11th win of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season and secured his spot into the Round of 8 in the playoffs. He won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 24, 2023, after leading a race-high 189 laps out of 334.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Race Summary
The race was the first of three in the Round of 12 of the playoffs and featured 36 drivers competing on the 1.5-mile oval track. The race was divided into three stages, with the first two stages consisting of 80 laps each and the final stage comprising 174 laps.
The race saw 22 lead changes among 13 different drivers and witnessed 11 caution flags for a total of 54 laps. The average speed of the race was 147.891 mph and the margin of victory was 0.894 seconds.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Race Highlights
- Larson started from the pole position and dominated the first stage, leading all but one lap and winning the stage by more than four seconds over Denny Hamlin.
- The second stage was more competitive, with seven different drivers taking turns at the front. Larson regained the lead with 18 laps to go in the stage and held off a charging Chase Elliott to win the stage by 0.228 seconds.
- The final stage saw more drama, as several playoff contenders encountered trouble. Joey Logano suffered a flat tire and hit the wall on lap 215, bringing out the fifth caution of the race. He finished 22nd and dropped to ninth in the playoff standings, seven points below the cutline.
- On lap 248, Kyle Busch spun out after contact with Austin Dillon and slid across the track, collecting several cars in a multi-car wreck. Busch ended up in 34th place and fell to eighth in the playoff standings, four points above the cutline.
- On lap 309, J.J. Yeley crashed hard into the wall, bringing out the ninth caution of the race and setting up a restart with 20 laps to go. Larson maintained his lead over Hamlin, while Elliott moved up to third.
- On lap 322, another caution came out when Ty Gibbs spun out and hit the wall. This led to a restart with six laps to go, with Larson still in front of Hamlin and Elliott.
- Larson pulled away from his rivals on the final restart and crossed the finish line first, securing his fifth win in six races and his seventh win in a playoff race this season. He also became the first driver to lock himself into the Round of 8 of the playoffs.
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Race Results
The following table shows the top 10 finishers of the race, along with their car number, manufacturer, laps led, points earned, and playoff status.
| Position | Driver | Car | Manufacturer | Laps Led | Points | Playoff Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Chevrolet | 189 | 60 | Advanced |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Toyota | 28 | 49 | +64 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Chevrolet | 45 | 51 | +42 |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Chevrolet | – | 33 | +15 |
| 5 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Toyota | – | 32 | -15 |
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Ford | – | 31 | -18 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Ford | – | 30 | -19 |
| 8 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Chevrolet | – | 29 | – |
| 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | Chevrolet | – | 28 | – |
| 10 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Ford | – | 27 | – |
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Playoff Standings
The following table shows the playoff standings after the first race of the Round of 12, along with their points above or below the cutline.
| Position | Driver | Points Above/Below Cutline |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | Advanced |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | +64 |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | +42 |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | +15 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | +9 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | +8 |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | +4 |
| 8 | William Byron | 0 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | -7 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | -15 |
| 11 | Kevin Harvick | -18 |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | -19 |
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Next Race
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continue with the second race of the Round of 12 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 1, 2023. The race will start at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC. The race will be 188 laps long and will feature four stages, with the first three stages consisting of 25 laps each and the final stage comprising 113 laps.
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