LAS VEGAS — A method or one other, a Hendrick Motorsports driver figured to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Sequence race at Las Vegas.

Kyle Larson practically received the Pennzoil 400 in regulation, however a late warning put teammate William Byron in place to seize the checkered flag in extra time.

Byron took the lead on the second-to-last lap of OT to place an exclamation mark on a dominant day for Hendrick. The highest three drivers have been from Hendrick, with Byron, Larson and Alex Bowman pushing their Chevrolets throughout the end line in that order.

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Bowman received final 12 months’s March race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Byron led 176 laps and received for the fifth time in his six Cup seasons.

“I’ve led a whole lot of laps in a few races, however to be this good with this workforce is certainly a superb signal,” Byron stated. “It is a completely different feeling for me having a workforce round me that may execute that effectively. That is only a workforce effort.”

Larson appeared headed for victory when when Aric Almirola hit the wall in flip 4 on lap No. 264, resulting in the second warning of the day.

“I really feel like I might have eight or 10 extra Cup wins if it wasn’t for cautions within the final 5 laps,” Larson stated. “I do not keep in mind lots of these figuring out in my favor.”

Many of the leaders pitted a lap later, with solely Martin Truex Jr. in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota selecting to remain out. Byron, within the No. 24 Chevy, got here out of pit street forward of Larson after which simply overtook Truex after the restart.

Byron, who began within the first row with Joey Logano, swept each levels for the primary time in his profession. Truex in 2017 and Kevin Harvick in 2018 additionally received each levels in Las Vegas and went on to win.

Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Sequence champion, will start bodily remedy Monday, his workforce proprietor Rick Hendrick advised Fox Sports activities.

Elliott had surgical procedure Friday to restore a fractured tibia, and Hendrick stated Elliott has returned to his dwelling in Dawsonville, Georgia. Elliott was injured in a snowboarding accident Friday. He and his household personal a house in Vail, Colorado.

Elliott joked on Twitter “that the formal request I submitted for a slight edit to the March part of my script was certainly… declined.”

“In all seriousness, the assist I’ve acquired over the past couple of days is way larger than I deserve,” he posted in a follow-up tweet. “I need to thank everybody who has lended it over in any type!”

Josh Berry took Elliott’s seat within the No. 9 Chevy and completed twenty ninth. Hendrick common supervisor Jeff Andrews stated a call could be made on who drives that automobile subsequent weekend at Phoenix.

Logano, the defending Cup champion who received the Las Vegas race in October, hit the wall in in flip 4 on lap No. 183, ending his day. He was operating three-wide with Brad Keselowski within the center and Kyle Busch on the apron when Logano ran into Keselowski, sending his Workforce Penske No. 22 Ford into the wall.

“I am certain [Keselowski] did not imply to do it,” Logano stated. “What are you going to do, proper? We obtained fenced.”

It was a tricky day throughout for Logano, who was operating fifteenth after beginning on the pole.

“Contemplating how we have been right here up to now, you type of count on it a little bit bit extra efficiency right this moment than what we had,” Logano stated. “Simply off on general pace. We had the stability considerably shut, simply not quick.”

Bubba Wallace, who drives the 23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota, completed fourth. He was the highest finisher not a part of the Hendrick storage.

“It was proper there within the high seven or eight the entire time,” Wallace stated. “I used to be going to accept sixth and the warning got here out. My automobile fired off actually, actually good [on the restart], one of the best it had all race.”

Sunday’s first stage wasn’t sort to Las Vegas drivers Busch and Noah Gragson. Busch bumped the wall, and Gragson twice was penalized for rushing on pit street. Gragson later was docked a 3rd rushing penalty.

Struggles in his hometown are nothing new for two-time Cup Sequence champion Busch, whose solely top-level win at Las Vegas was in 2009. He was 14th Sunday.

Gragson, a Cup Sequence rookie, completed thirtieth.