NASCAR at Richmond results, highlights: Late pit stop carries Kyle Larson to first win of season

David Suggs

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NASCAR at Richmond results, highlights: Late pit stop carries Kyle Larson to first win of season image

It was a reversal of fortunes for Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron at Richmond this weekend.

Byron led the way for much of Sunday's race, showcasing blazing speed on straightaways and timely pit stops to blitz past his competition. But a late wreck made the Toyota Owners 400 anyone's race. Larson was the beneficiary, holding off another teammate — Josh Berry — on the race restart to nab his first victory of the season.

Larson has looked wonderful at times on the track this year. But his results haven't always reflected that. Late cautions and unseemly wrecks kept him from a confetti shower. Until today.

Between Larson, Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell, there were more than a few racers who looked likely to hoist the trophy at Richmond. Yet no one had as shocking a display as Berry, the replacement driver filling in for an injured Chase Elliott.

MORE: Why Alex Bowman, William Byron & Kyle Larson had their 100-point penalties rescinded

After spinning out partway through Stage 1, it seemed unlikely that the No. 9 car was going to do anything of note. Yet Berry prevailed in the end, staying near the front of the pack through restarts and pit stops. All of that amounted to a career-best finish at "America's Premier Short Track", one that will certainly add to Hendrick Motorsports' delight.

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with Fubo (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live updates and results from Sunday's race at Richmond. Below are the highlights from "America's Premier Short Track."

NASCAR at Richmond live updates, highlights from 2023 race

(All times Eastern)

7:06 p.m.: One lap to go. Larson in control. He's going to take the checkered flag. Berry with a phenomenal run to get second as a replacement driver. Chastain takes third.

7:05 p.m.: Gibbs in P10. Could be his third straight Top-10 finish.

7:02 p.m.: McDowell clears Truex to take sole possession of sixth. Eight laps to go. Larson holds a slight lead over Berry for first.

7:00 p.m.: Larson and Berry competing for first on the restart. The No. 9 car has a real chance!

6:54 p.m.: CAUTION! Bell into Byron on the race restart! The No. 24 car goes flying into the wall. Has to be frustrating for Byron, who looked en route to another decent finish.

6:53 p.m.: Berry up to second after Reddick's miscue.

6:51 p.m.: Byron a little slow on his pit road exit. He'll be delighted Hamlin incurred a speed issue, seemingly ensuring he won't be able to competing for the spot at the top.

6:47 p.m.: CAUTION! Reddick spins out after getting loose on Kevin Harvick. That will certainly change the outlook of this race.

6:45 p.m.: Byron takes the lead! 32 laps from finish. Truex only .3 seconds behind. Quite tight up at the front.

6:42 p.m.: Berry, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland out in front at the moment, although Byron and Truex — both on new tires — will slip past them momentarily. Seems Byron's decision to pit a little earlier was an inspired one. 37 laps to go in the final stage.

6:39 p.m.: Chase Briscoe pulls into pit road; that will be an impetus for other racers to get their tires and fuel tanks looked at.

6:36 p.m.: Bell gets past Larson, taking advantage of some aggressive driving by Burton, who refuses to go away lying despite being a lap down.

6:33 p.m.: Based on Jamie Little's reporting, it seems like Byron plans on hitting pit road in about 10 laps. Hamlin, who sits in ninth, reporting to his team that he needs some serious help to make a chase for the top spot.

6:29 p.m.: Joey Logano battling with Hamlin for 10th place. Not where you want to be if you're Hamlin, although it's a solid spot for Logano, who hasn't been too involved today.

6:25 p.m.: Truex Jr. is half a second up on Byron, although he looks like he may be dealing with low tire pressure on his back wheel. 77 laps to go.

6:16 p.m.: CAUTION! Gragson gets loose, colliding with the wall in a single-car crash. That might help Hamlin, who fell fast after his slow pit stop.

6:15 p.m.: Bubba Wallace's crew incurs another penalty, this time for a safety violation. No. 23 car just can't get a break.

6:11 p.m.: Hamlin headed to pit road. He stayed out longer than anyone else last time around, but didn't feel he could afford to do it in Stage 3. Looks like he had some difficulty getting his right front tire installed, adding a few more seconds to his time. Truex takes the lead.

6:09 p.m.: Aric Almirola headed to pit road. Expect to see a great many cars hitting pit road now.

6:00 p.m.: A pair of JGR drivers — Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. — find themselves in the front. Further down the field, solid showing by Bubba Wallace, although he says he's having some difficulties with his brake pads.

5:41 p.m.: Hamlin takes Stage 2!

5:37 p.m.: Hamlin takes the lead, passing Bell with his newer tires. Just two laps left in the stage. Looking like it's going to be a stage victory for Hamlin.

5:34 p.m.: Hamlin up to second, just a second behind race-leader Bell. Larson has dropped down to seventh with his fender issues.

5:33 p.m.: Hasn't been the best day for Reddick, who finds himself a lap down in P20. Still trying to figure out the formula for long runs.

5:31 p.m.: Byron upset with Harrison Burton, who held him up enough to give Bell the space to go forward.

5:30 p.m.: Bell takes the lead with 23 laps left in the stage. Perhaps most impressively, though, is the fact that Hamlin finds himself in the Top 5.

5:25 p.m.: Byron and Larson back and forth for first. Both are held up by lap traffic, with Noah Gragson not giving up an inch despite being a lap down. Byron takes his spot in first as Larson drops to third, felled by a pit road collision with Daniel Suarez.

5:21 p.m.: 40 laps to go in Stage 2. All six Toyota cars currently sitting in the Top 15. Not too shabby for the Japanese brand.

5:15 p.m.: Impressive recovery by Berry, who has pulled into the Top 10 after taking the contact from Blaney earlier in the stage.

5:11 p.m.: Hamlin the only driver who hasn't pitted on Lap 166. Steady stream of drivers filtering in and out of pit road.

5:05 p.m.: Larson's lead over Byron up to two seconds. Lots of time left in the race, but been a pretty good day for Hendrick Motorsports so far.

4:57 p.m.: Larson, Bowman and the rest of the guys at the front of the pack are starting to hit a little track traffic. Bowman having some difficulties maneuvering the car on turns, although he's been fast on straightaways. He'll have to make sure he's as precise as possible.

4:56 p.m.: Larson takes the lead on Lap 129. Looks like Byron losing some serious speed. Further down the pack, Ty Gibbs putting together a solid showing on the short track. He sits in 10th, posting the third-fastest track so far.

4:48 p.m.: Back to green! We're a quarter into Stage 2. Byron and Larson still sitting in first and second.

4:40 p.m.: CAUTION! Josh Berry goes spinning! Ryan Blaney gave him a bump, sending him into the infield. Plumes of smoke everywhere. Have to imagine much of the field is headed to pit road now.

4:39 p.m.: Hamlin has gotten himself back into contention after a subpar race restart after the competition caution. He's in 13th place.

Speaking of decent comebacks, Bubba Wallace has climbed 10 places from his P28 start, getting himself into the Top 20.

4:33 p.m.: Back to green here at Richmond. Very tight in P6, P7 and P8. Bowman gets a slight edge to crawl into sixth.

4:24 p.m.: Byron picks up yet another stage victory, his fifth in seven races. He can't be stopped at the moment.

4:23 p.m.: Ryan Preece flying down the track. He's up 12 spots on where he was positioned at the race restart, sliding in at 13th place.

4:22 p.m.: Five laps left for Stage 1. Byron holds a one-second edge over Larson for first place.

4:15 p.m.: Yeley headed to pit road. He took a serious shot there, with his back crunching like an accordion. Green flag here again at Richmond and it's Hendrick Motorsports teammates Byron and Kyle Larson. They've been battling at the top of the field for each of the last four races.

4:11 p.m.: CAUTION! Denny Hamlin rams into J.J. Yeley, taking the No. 15 car out. Looked to be very intentional on Hamlin's part. Can't wait for the explanation for that one.

4:09 p.m.: Green flag waved to take racers out of the competition caution. Chastain leads, with Byron and Tyler Reddick only slightly behind. Bowman struggling to maintain pace — he's dropped six spots so far.

4:08 p.m.: Stenhouse has a brake issue. Looks like he's headed to the garage. Unfortunate for him, as he put together quite a decent start before the competition caution.

4:01 p.m.: Caution flag out on Lap 31. Looks like every driver is headed to pit road.

4:00 p.m.: Competition caution will fly in one more lap, as this is the first time racers are driving on the track (since there was no practice round or qualifying).

3:58 p.m.: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. putting up a really strong showing through the first 26 laps. Putting some serious pace on the outside track while rolling into Turn 2. He sits in fifth place now.

3:54 p.m.: Byron makes his way to the front of the pack. He's got a fairly sizable advantage in front of second place Ross Chastain.

3:49 p.m.: And we're off from Richmond! Willam Byron charging hard to get up there with Bowman.

3:40 p.m.: About ten minutes from the waving of the green flag. Alex Bowman and Kyle Busch leading off in the front row.

3:00 p.m.: Looks like Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain will be sporting decals honoring the victims of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville a few weeks back.

2:40 p.m.: Looks like NASCAR made the slightest of adjustments on Turn 2 after last night's modified race.

NASCAR at Richmond starting lineup

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing
3 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
4 Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
5 Tyler Reddick 45 23XI Racing
6 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
7 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
8 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
9 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
10 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
14 Ty Gibbs 54 Joe Gibbs Racing
15 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
16 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
17 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
18 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
19 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
20 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
21 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
22 Erik Jones 43 Legacy Motor Club
23 Noah Gragson 42 Legacy Motor Club
24 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
25 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
26 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
27 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
28 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
29 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
30 Josh Berry 9 Hendrick Motorsports
31 Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing
32 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
33 Ryan Preece 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
34 JJ Yeley 15 Rick Ware Racing
35 Anthony Alfredo 78 Live Fast Motorsports
36 Ty Dillon 77 Spire Motorsports
37 Chandler Smith 13 Kaulig Racing

What channel is the NASCAR at Richmond on today?

  • TV channel: FS1 (U.S.). | TSN2 (Canada)
  • Live stream: FoxSports.com, Fubo
  • Radio: MRN

NASCAR fans hoping to find the Toyota Owners 400 can view it on FS1 in the U.S., and TSN2 in Canada.

The channel's coverage will be anchored by Mike Joy, who will call lap-by-lap action, while Clint Bowyer will provide analysis. This week, they will also be joined by Larry McReynolds in the broadcast booth to provide additional race analysis.

What time does the NASCAR race at Richmond start today?

  • Date: Sunday, April 2
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Sunday's Toyota Owners 400 race is listed to begin at 3:30 p.m. ET. Given the pre-race festivities that are set to take place, the race is scheduled to start at 3:49 p.m. ET.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.