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On the race's final pit stop -- brought out by Erik Jones' wreck
with three laps left -- Bowman and Larson decided to take just
two tires, putting the Hendrick Motorsports teammates on the
front row.
Larson elected the high spot with Bowman underneath. They ran
side by side until Bowman kept his Chevrolet down low and
claimed his seventh career Cup win at the checkers.
"This thing was so fast all day, just never had the track
position to show it," Bowman said. "What a call by (crew chief)
Greg Ives and the guys to take two there. Obviously it paid off.
It's been a pretty awful start to the year, so to come out here
and get a win on a restart deal like that is pretty special."
Bowman's previous best finish of the young season was 24th at
the Daytona 500.
Ross Chastain, who led three times for a career-high 83 laps,
came home third. Kyle Busch and William Byron rounded out the
top five finishers in the 274-lap race.
Busch grabbed the lead after pit stops with 50 laps to go but
took on four tires in the final stop and restarted fourth.
Christopher Bell started from the pole and led the first 33 laps
but fell back in the top 10. He looped his Toyota shortly after
the halfway point and came home 10th.
Ryan Blaney, who has been fast in all three Cup races thus far,
wrecked with former Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski and
finished 36th.
After winning his first career pole Saturday with a speed of
182.673 mph, Bell paced the first 33 circuits around the
1.5-mile track.
After starting shotgun on the field following a Saturday
practice crash, Busch was involved in a spin behind Austin
Dillon's sliding No. 3. Busch also fought linkage problems on
his shifter in the reserve car, brought out West for parts and
unprepared to race.
"It's a true testament to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing," Busch
said. "The (No.) 18 guys, but also the 11, 19 and 20 -- all of
them for coming over and pitching in and making us go today.
Really appreciate that."
Bowman and Denny Hamlin took turns at the front, but it was
Bowman leading a three-Chevrolet brigade to win the first stage.
In the seventh caution, Keselowski spun by himself and was
struck by Blaney, who received significant damage just after the
100-lap mark.
"He just spun out on his own, and I was on the top and ran right
into him," Blaney said. "He lost it right of front of us, I
guess, and happy he's still running (while) we're sitting here
wrecked."
Chastain passed Larson and led Chase Elliott to the line to give
his No. 1 team its first-ever stage-points win on Lap 165 to
close out the second stage.
With most of the field pitting with 50 laps to go, Hamlin made a
shifting mistake and brought out the 11th caution period --
eventually turning over the lead to Busch.
--Field Level Media
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