Kyle Larson comes from behind to win wild Xfinity Series race at COTA

Larson restarted 10th with two laps to go. While Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen battled for the win, Larson crept up on the pair, making the pass with just a few corners left after van Gisbergen pummeled into the rear of Hill, sending both cars up the track and Larson into the lead. 

Larson's day was a tale of triumph in the face of the (perceived) impossible. After starting last, Larson rallied to the top five before a flat tire forced him to the back of the pack. Restarting 10th with two laps to go, Larson put himself in position to make a move, but didn't panic in the face of pressure. 

"It feels really special. It feels like every time we run the No. 17 car, we're always the fastest on the track, and then somehow give it away," Larson said in his front stretch interview with Fox's Regan Smith. "Today, we definitely weren't the fastest, but we were patient. I knew the 21 had shoved SVG through turn one, so I knew if he got to him, it could get dicey. I was thinking through when to make my move. I saw them shoot through turn 15, and said, 'Ok, this could be good.' Thankfully I cleared them off that corner."

The win is the 15th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2021 Cup Series champion, who looks to sweep the weekend with a win in the Cup Series race on Sunday.

Hill and van Gisbergen battled side-by-side for second after van Gisbergen's ill-fated attempt to move Hill up the racetrack left van Gisbergen with sizeable damage to the hood of his No. 97 Camaro. With the runner-up finish, Hill remains the only driver in the Xfinity Series to finish top five in the first five races of the season. 

"It was a crazy race," van Gisbergen said. "It was some pretty fun racing with AJ (Allmendinger) and Kyle (Larson), just hate it didn't turn out better."

Ultimately, van Gisbergen's second-place run will turn out to be lower on the results sheet, as a thirty-second penalty incurred by the Australian driver on the final lap will drop him to 28th in the final standings.

Other notable finishers from Saturday's race include Rookie of The Year contender Jesse Love in sixth, AJ Allmendinger in 10th and Austin Green, who made his first career Xfinity Series start in Saturday's race, in seventh.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to action next Saturday at Richmond Raceway in the ToyotaCare 250. The race will go green at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.