DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kyle Larson earned the primary victory of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Form playoffs Sunday evening via well-known the general 55 laps at Darlington Raceway, launching him into the second one spherical.

However for Larson, profitable future driving a 17-race winless streak was once simply as heavy for his mojo as it’s for the postseason.

“It’s just good to get a win and hopefully we can build on this and put together some solid weeks back to back to back,” Larson mentioned. “It’s been a protracted past since we manufacture a couple of excellent weeks in a row.

“We’ve were given some truly excellent tracks for us within the playoffs [and] a excellent alternative to only acquire some momentum and it is helping initiation at Darlington with a win. It’s now not been essentially the most enjoyable month for us, however we’ve been thru a quantity and we’ve triumph over a quantity. We’re fight examined and in a position for what the then 9 weeks throw at us.”

NASCAR’s playoff system features three-race rounds with the four drivers who are winless in the round being eliminated. Several playoff drivers – including Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Christopher Bell – stumbled, but they have races at Kansas and Bristol remaining in the opening round.

Here are the takeaways from the playoff opener where Larson crossed the finish line ahead of six other playoff drivers – Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace.

Larson Finally Darlington Winner

The Hendrick Motorsports driver had come close at Darlington, having finished runner-up three times at the track.

He had to run the car on the edge to finally get that win in his 12th Darlington start in his career, and he slapped the wall a few times, pushing hard to remain in contention as well as keep the lead.

“I dragged the wall a couple of instances – were given into it roughly sun-baked a few other instances,” Larson said. “Fortunately [these] vehicles are tricky enough quantity to create slight errors like that and now not finish your generation.”

Reddick additionally strike the wall.

“There’s a few instances on the ones restarts when the warning adopted that I used to be pushing lovely sun-baked – almost definitely tougher than I had to and surely almost definitely didn’t backup the cycles [on the tires]. … I utterly crossed [the edge],” Reddick mentioned.

“We left familiar sense at the endmost restart. I’ve by no means strike the wall such a lot of instances and long past so rapid doing it.”

Hamlin, Harvick Unhappiness

Hamlin led 177 laps but had to pit under green with what he thought was a loose wheel with about 94 laps remaining.

The staff advised Hamlin they didn’t see the rest improper with the wheel. 

“It’s near enough quantity to the place it didn’t topic,” Hamlin said. “What I felt, I used to be [almost] in a clash. I had to deliver it in and simply grew to become the generation the wrong way up.”

Larson admittedly didn’t drop a tear for Hamlin, who completed twenty fifth.

“He was once a admirable automotive so once I noticed him drop down pit avenue, I used to be glad as a result of he was once going to present the residue folks a shot to win,” Larson said. “He was once truly, truly robust.

“I was surprised how good he was throughout the whole run in the lead. He’s honestly the best there is here in Darlington.”

Harvick was once a sufferer of malicious good fortune when a warning got here out simply prior to he reached the pit-road constancy layout. With the lighting coming directly to near the pits simply prior to he strike the layout, he didn’t have enough quantity past to steer clear of crossing the layout to decide to pit avenue.

Harvick nearest had two choices – force unwell pit avenue at pit-road pace and lose some positions or have his staff do the pit oppose and restart on the rear of the grassland. He ended up doing the endmost and completed nineteenth.

“The caution came out and the light was on, and I didn’t think I could turn right [to avoid the line],” Harvick mentioned.

Harvick is 2 issues underneath the playoff cutline, future Hamlin, because of sweeping the levels, nonetheless is 27 issues above the cutline.

Wallace Rally

Wallace rallied upcoming a gradual pit oppose and nearest a devastation with Joey Logano to complete 7th. He progressed his place within the standings from 8 issues underneath the cutline to 1.

“I’ve got to be better,” Wallace mentioned. “I appreciate the team for sticking behind me through all of the mistakes that I caused them. They didn’t let us down and got us back to a top-10 finish.”

The 23XI Racing motive force must really feel excellent because the then race within the spherical is Kansas, the place he received a month in the past and completed fourth within the spring.

Wallace is aware of that he would possibly now not get favors from drivers he had touch with at Darlington, even supposing he’ll hope they made his pace tricky enough quantity Sunday that the message was once despatched.

“The important thing to learn here is to not make enemies race one when you’re in the playoffs because they make it hell – so I deserved everything I got throughout the night,” Wallace mentioned.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent many years overlaying motorsports, together with the time 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Wearing Information, NASCAR Scene novel and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Magazine. Apply him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and join the FOX Sports activities NASCAR E-newsletter with Bob Pockrass.

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