Pennzoil 400 highlights: Bryon sweeps all three stages, wins at LVMS

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Long live Las Vegas!

The March NASCAR Cup Series schedule kicked off Sunday with the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and we had you covered with all the action from start to finish, exclusively on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

The 267-lap race covered 400.5 miles and consisted of two 80-lap stages, followed by a third and final stage of 107 laps. William Bryon swept all three stages to claim victory at LVMS in truly dominant fashion.

Here are the best moments!

Engines fired!

Las Vegas native and two-time MLB National League MVP Bryce Harper was the quarterback for Sunday’s run. The Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder gave the order to the drivers to fire up their engines for the 26th annual event.

“I’ve been a NASCAR fan for quite some time, so to be asked to give the order, especially at my hometown track, just checks another box on my to-do list as a fan,” he said. said Harper.

Bryce Harper tells drivers to start their engines at the Pennzoil 400

So things were on!

Green!

Pole sitter Joey Logano grabbed an early lead with Bryon and Ryan Blaney battling two wide behind him.

follow the leader

Byron took the lead from Logano on lap 10 as the competition continued to heat up in the first stage.

making moves

Elsewhere, on lap 17, Tyler Reddick, who did not practice or qualify after his team discovered an engine problem Saturday morning, moved up to 16th after starting last.

Meanwhile, Byron lost his lead to Brad Keselowski after pitting, while Kyle Busch made contact with the wall. Byron quickly regained the lead after the first round of pit stops, with Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain close behind.

Stage 1 in the books

Byron took stage 1 after leading 67 of the opening 80-lap stage. It was the first stage win of the season for the 25-year-old, who was followed by Larson, Chastain, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin to complete the top five drivers of the stage.

There is no room for error

Byron, Larson and Hamlin were the first out of the pits to take stage 2.

Some Daniel Suarez contact sent Chris Buescher to the wall early. Josh Berry, filling in for an injured Chase Elliott, also hit the wall.

Double problem

Byron continued his dominance as the day progressed, cruising to an easy Stage 2 win with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Larson and Alex Bowman right behind him.

Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. they completed the top five in the second stage.

Catching air

Byron, Larson and Bowman remained in the top three as the third and final stage began.

A close three-wide battle did not end well for Logano, who drew the first caution of the race after bouncing off the wall and sliding across the grass. The mistake ended the day before the number 22 car, which immediately went to the garage.

Eyes on the prize

Hamlin led after the restart, followed by Bowman and Larson in second and third, respectively.

Down to the wire

Larson navigated traffic to regain the lead late in the race.

Meanwhile, rookie Noah Gragson picked up his third speeding penalty of the day.

It’s not done yet!

Larson’s lead continued to grow as the race wound down. With 15 laps to go, Larson was nearly 4.5 seconds ahead of the field, but things quickly changed.

The caution was re-issued after Aric Almirola got loose and crashed into the wall.

final moments

Larson, Hamlin, Byron, Bowman and others headed to pit road before the overtime restart.

Byron, who swept the first two stages, won the pit race, while Truex opted out.

Winner!

In the end, it was Byron who emerged victorious in Las Vegas, sweeping all three stages to win Sunday’s race.

PRECURSE:

Setting the scene

Ahead of Sunday’s action, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass gave fans an inside look at what’s to come in Las Vegas.

Elsewhere, the FOX Sports NASCAR crew spoke with pole winner Logano and Chastain before the race.