Kyle Larson breezed to victory at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race to extend his lead in the NASCAR playoffs.
No one could match the American in Bristol as he led 462 of the 500 laps in the race on route to winning his fifth Cup Series race of the season.
He now holds a 15-point advantage in the championship with seven races to go – including the finale in Phoenix which he can qualify for by placing inside the top eight (virtually guaranteed).
The NASCAR playoffs Round of 12 commences this weekend in Kansas City with the Hollywood Casino 400 – a race which he has finished fourth and eighth in over the previous two years.
Kyle Larson managed a feat that ‘nobody else’ could in Bristol
Speaking on NASCAR on Fox’s YouTube channel, the former NASCAR driver assessed Larson’s blinding performance under the lights.
Winning by over seven seconds from his nearest rival – Chase Elliott showed just how insane his efforts were, sitting around a quarter of a lap ahead of everyone else.
Even Denny Hamlin, who won at Bristol last year, came fourth and couldn’t get close to challenging for the win.
READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo names the one NASCAR speedway he’d love to drive ahead of potential F1 exit
“Unreal, and when you look at Bristol, we expect Kyle Larson to be good there. He just loves driving the car hard,” said Harvick.
“He could run the bottom of the racetrack like nobody else could. Then he would get a big lead. He was able to manage his pace and then when he would get traffic, he was just able to manoeuvre through traffic like nobody else could.”
Larson’s attempt for a second NASCAR crown
It has been three years since Larson claimed his first Cup Series crown, taking both the regular season trophy and the overall silverware.
The fact he is in prime position to challenge despite missing the Coca-Cola 600 due to competing in the Indianapolis 500 shows just how strong he has been.
11 top-five finishes in 28 rounds is a major reason why he is out front, where his rivals have struggled to match his level of consistency.
READ MORE: Kenny Wallace criticises fans who called Bristol NASCAR race ‘boring’
All he needs to do is maintain his current levels and he stands a very good chance of reclaiming the title that he came so close to achieving last year – but fell short by one point.
Of the remaining seven races, at only one of them (Talladega) has he failed to finish in the top two off in the last three years.