2 hours agoHendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson had a strong performance and nearly stole the victory during Sunday's race at Phoenix Raceway. Beginning the race from the 17th position, Larson kept his car clean and quietly ascended through the field during the first stage. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver ended the first stage in the 10th position and earned one stage point. During the second stage, Larson performed similarly to the first, except he ran inside the top 10 throughout most of the stage outside of pit stops. Larson ended the second stage in the ninth position and added two more stage points to his total. The final stage was where Larson began to contend at the front, as around lap 224, he finally cracked the top three and challenged for second. Even through pit stops, Larson maintained a top-3 running position and was in a position to compete for the win on the race's final restart. Although he did not get the restart he needed, he kept a close distance with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin for the win, and on the final corner, Larson made a move as the two leaders got up towards the wall, but he still fell short of victory. Larson finished third, marking the fourth time in now five races that Larson placed fourth or better at Phoenix.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com