Kyle Larson steals Focused Health 250 in double overtime at COTA

Shane van Gisbergen was excellent on the first restart. However, Austin Hill and his aggressive driving got the better of him on the second one. It was a shame for such a well driven race to be upended like that, but SVG had opportunities to catch Hill and pass him.

Of course, it is not easy to get around the RCR driver. He is a bulldog on the track. Late on the final lap, SVG did make a move, putting his bumper to Hill, and the two got stuck for a second. The 97 took front end damage and neither driver made the turn.

That’s when Kyle Larson, on fresher tires, made the move on the inside. He was patient, bided his time, and when the moment was right he struck.

Kyle Larson makes fresh tires stick for the win

Larson had to do this the hard way today. He won the pole, but due to a brake rotor swap, he had to start at the rear of the field. Then, after working to be in the top-5 all day, Larson had to get fresh tires. So, he went to the back again.

The crazy thing about Larson’s run today, his car was clean as a whistle. Compared to the rest of the field, it looked like Larson had led all race and avoided any contact. It shows how special of a driver he is when he can pull off races like today, and how special his Hendrick Motorsports team is.

The 17 car back in Victory Lane will make Rick Hendrick happy and that’s what it’s all about. Larson hasn’t always had the best luck in this car in the Xfinity Series. However, he was the lucky one today as he put himself in the right place at the right time.

Kyle Larson gets it done at COTA. Tomorrow he will try to get his second victory of the weekend by claiming the checkered flag in the Cup Series. An exciting afternoon of NASCAR racing behind us and another afternoon of racing ahead for tomorrow.