Kyle Larson wins Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami

• Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
• Larson’s victory was his first of the season and 30th of his career.
• Ryan Blaney led a race-high 124 laps but suffered his third consecutive DNF after his engine blew on Lap 208.

No caution, no caution, no caution.

That’s what Kyle Larson thinks every time he holds a late lead, especially at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

And especially Sunday.

After building a huge 16-second lead in the final eight laps of the Xfinity Series race Saturday, a yellow flag came out and brought about an overtime restart. Larson finished fourth. 

But in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400, he snatched the top spot from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman with seventh laps to go. This time, the caution flag did not fly, and Larson prevailed.

“Just super pumped,” he said. “One of the coolest wins I think in my Cup career just because of the heartbreak I’ve had here, the heartbreak yesterday, and to just keep my head down and keep digging feels really good.”

Larson earned his first Cup Series victory of the season and 30th of his career. He also captured Friday’s Truck Series race.

Here are three takeaways from the weekend finale:

1. Hendrick Motorsports finishes 1st, 2nd with Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman

Larson picked up Hendrick’s second victory of the season. Teammate William Byron opened the year with a Daytona 500 victory. After three Christopher Bell wins and a Josh Berry victory over the last month, Larson put his organization back in Victory Lane.

His No. 5 Chevrolet passed Bowman’s No. 48 when the latter hit the wall on the exit of Turn 4. Larson led a total of 19 laps.

Bowman maintained the front for 43 laps, trailing only Bubba Wallace’s 56 and Ryan Blaney’s race-best 124. Bowman won the pole by laying down the fastest qualifying time Saturday.

“I guess I choked that one away,” he said.

2. Ryan Blaney hits career-long string of DNFs

Blaney controlled nearly half of Sunday’s race. He was running third when his engine blew on Lap 268.

That continued his string of tough luck.

Two weeks ago, his engine gave out at Phoenix. Last week, his stint in Vegas ended with a wreck. Miami gave him a third straight “did not finish,” the longest streak of his career.

Officially, he placed 36th out of 37 cars.

“I didn’t have any warning,” Blaney said. “It just laid over when I got back to wide-open down the front, and that was all she wrote. It just stinks.”

3. NASCAR Cup Series turns to Martinsville

Onto the Half Mile of Mayhem.

After Homestead-Miami, NASCAR will turn its attention to Martinsville Speedway next weekend. Sunday’s Cook Out 400 will serve as the headliner.

Drivers will make 400 laps around the shortest track in the circuit, measuring in at 0.526 miles.

Byron won the regular-season race at Martinsville last April. In November, Ryan Blaney clinched the playoff race there.