Kyle Larson Surges Late for Win in Vegas

Kyle Larson celebrates in Victory Lane with his crew after winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14, 2026. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

LAS VEGAS — For the first half of Saturday’s The LiUNA!, Kyle Larson looked like a man merely observing a race rather than leading one. Mired in the pack with a “super, super tight” race car, the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion watched as young guns and series regulars traded paint and the lead at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

But as the sun began to dip toward the desert horizon, Larson found the “clean air” he desperately craved. Capitalizing on a late-race restart and a strategic line that saved his front tires, Larson powered the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to the front, pulling away to secure his 18th career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory.

It was a performance that mirrored a simple piece of advice from his son, Cooper.

“During pre-race, Cooper said, ‘You just need to go faster, Dad,’” Larson joked in his frontstretch winner’s interview to Kim Coon of NASCAR on CW. “I finally remembered what he told me and decided to go faster.”

Fighting Through the Pack

Kyle Larson (left) and 20-year-old Corey Day (right) discussed their race cars earlier in the weekend. Day led 9 laps on Saturday, earning praise from the veteran champion. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

Larson’s path to the winner’s circle was far from a weekend drive. Starting second, he quickly realized his car wasn’t behaving. While Justin Allgaier and polesitter Sam Mayer dominated the early stages, Larson found himself fighting his own equipment.

“My car was not handling the best at all,” Larson admitted. “I was just super, super tight, loaded, and I couldn’t carry any speed through the corners. I was just getting ate up on restarts—really, the whole run.”

The struggle relegated Larson to the middle of the field for much of the afternoon. From that vantage point, he had a front-row seat to the breakout performance of the day: 20-year-old Corey Day.

Driving the No. 17 HendrickCars.com entry, Day led nine laps and frequently ran in the top five, sliding his car through the 1.5-mile tri-oval with a dirt-track flair that caught Larson’s eye.

“I got to see a lot of racing on the windshield because I was just an average mid-pack guy for most of it,” Larson said. “Corey was fun to watch. He was sideways the whole time. I was like, ‘Man, if I could just get some of his turn, I could look really good.’”

The Decisive Moment

Kyle Larson smokes the tires of the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet after surging from mid-pack to take the checkered flag at Las Vegas. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

The complexion of the race shifted during the final stage. While Stage 1 and Stage 2 belonged to Justin Allgaier, who swept both segments, a series of late cautions, including a Turn 3 fracas  Taylor Gray and Sheldon Creed jumbled the order.

The decisive moment came on the final restart. While several drivers opted for varying tire strategies, Larson was able to find a lane that worked.

“That last restart, we had some guys stay out. I had a good launch and was able to get to the middle and get some clean air,” Larson explained. “Just me being able to run the line that allowed my front tires to build where they needed to helped. I was a bit nervous; I knew the 00 (Creed) and Briscoe were ripping the top. I tried it once, and I didn’t feel good up there at all. I’m glad we were able to pick our way through traffic.”

Once in the lead, Larson never looked back, crossing the finish line 2.557 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe.

The Contenders’ Chaos

While Larson celebrated, the podium finishers reflected on a day of “what-ifs.”

Briscoe, driving the No. 19 Wix Filters Toyota, managed a remarkable second-place finish after falling off the lead lap earlier in the race due to a tire issue.

“I just kind of drove it into the fence and cost myself,” Briscoe admitted. “But we had a really good Toyota. I knew even with the adversity, if we got a lucky break, we could get back up there. It was fun slipping and sliding around as the racetrack widened out.”

Creed finished third, marking his best career result at Las Vegas, but his day was overshadowed by a Lap 148 incident with Gray. The contact sent Gray into a heavy hit against the Turn 3 wall, ending Gray’s promising afternoon.

“I don’t know if he necessarily did anything wrong,” Creed said of the incident. “I was working on getting runs off of Turn 2… he went to go block a little bit and I just got into him. I could have cut him more of a break there, and I didn’t. That’s not the way I wanted to race him.”

Creed lamented his own restart performance, noting that he struggled to find the right lane when it mattered most. “I just need to clean up some things with restarts. I didn’t know where the 20 was going to go, and I had the 17 on my left rear.”

A Family Affair

Kyle Larson’s sons, Cooper and Owen, celebrate a family victory in Las Vegas. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

The post-race celebration featured a lighthearted moment with Larson’s children. As Coon interviewed Larson on the frontstretch, his son Owen made an appearance wearing a Corey Day sweatshirt, shouting “CD!” to the cameras.

“He did a great job today,” Larson said of Day, who ultimately finished eighth. “It was cool seeing him leading laps.”

For Larson, the win was a testament to the work of crew chief Mardy Lindley and the collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports and JR Motorsports. While Larson is only running a limited schedule in the series this year, he signaled that he isn’t finished yet.

“Much harder work this week than at Texas,” Larson noted, referencing his previous success. “But we got a few more [starts] coming up, so hopefully we get some more wins.”

Looking Ahead

The series now moves to the “Lady in Black,” Darlington Raceway, on March 21. For the series regulars, the task remains the same: finding a way to beat the Cup Series stars when they drop down to play.

Allgaier, despite sweeping the stages, finished fourth after losing the lead late. Jesse Love rounded out the top five.

As for Larson, he leaves the neon lights of Vegas with another trophy for the mantle and the satisfaction of finally listening to his son’s advice: he just went faster.

Stage 1 Top 10 Finishers

Stage 2 Top 10 Finishers

Rajah Caruth congratulates Kyle Larson after winning Saturday’s The LiUNA! at Las Vegas. (Photo: Justin Sheldon | The Podium Finish)

The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Results