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Kyle Larson put on a masterclass to win at the Roval for his sixth victory of the 2024 season. Larson now has double the amount of wins as his next closest competitors this year and continues to make a strong case as the championship favorite as the playoffs move on to the Round of 8 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
RELATED: Race results
ELIMINATED DRIVERS
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports (No. 48 was disqualified in post-race inspection)
Austin Cindric, Team Penske
Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing
ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 8
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports
Joey Logano, Team Penske
WHO’S HOT?
The Big Three. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell clinched their spots in the Round of 8 before the Roval race was even over as they joined William Byron among the early advancers. The three drivers also finished 1-2-3 at the Roval, making a strong statement heading into the next round.
Chase Elliott. It wasn’t a win, but Elliott flashed his former road-course-ace self and came home with a fifth-place finish at Charlotte. More importantly, the 2020 champion withstood the pressure of racing just above the elimination line and advanced to the Round of 8 a year after not making the playoffs.
Joey Logano. While Logano appeared to be ousted from the postseason at first, a DQ to the No. 48 puts the two-time champion back in the postseason mix. Logano put himself in position to capitalize on the misfortune of the No. 48, though, by earning 47 points with a clutch Sunday showing.
WHO’S NOT?
Chase Briscoe. The dream of a Stewart-Haas Racing machine advancing to the next round ended after Briscoe went out early at Charlotte. Already at the bottom of the playoff standings, Briscoe had a flat tire and other mechanical problems that forced him to make multiple trips to pit road and ultimately exit the race with a 37th-place finish.
NEXT RACE
The Round of 8 opens at Las Vegas for the South Point 400 on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
WHO IT FAVORS
Kyle Larson. He’s tied with Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski for the most wins at Las Vegas (three) and boasts a series-best average finish of 9.3. Plus, Larson is the defending fall race winner here.
WHO IT HURTS
Christopher Bell. He owns the worst average finish at Las Vegas among the remaining playoff drivers (19.1) despite having two poles and four top-10 finishes in nine starts at the 1.5-mile desert track.