NASCAR at Watkins Glen updates: Kyle Larson holds off Chase Elliott for fifth win of season

Not even the recent road track success of Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. could overcome Kyle Larson’s sustained brilliance in 2021.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver won for the fifth time this year in the NASCAR Cup Series, finishing ahead of second-place Elliott and third-place Truex on Sunday. Larson took the lead from pit road on Lap 65 and never let it go. Credit to Elliott, though; he managed to fight from the rear for his second-place finish after he was hit with an L1 penalty prior to the race.

Larson’s win is good news for Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick, who finished eighth and 10th, respectively. They’re the last two drivers in the projected NASCAR Cup playoff field. A first-time winner this season would knock Reddick, then Harvick out of the playoff running.

Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from NASCAR’s race at Watkins Glen on Sunday. Follow for complete results from the Go Bowling at The Glen road race:

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NASCAR at Watkins Glen live updates, highlights

(All times Eastern)

5:14 p.m.: For the fifth time this year, Kyle Larson is your winner. Your top 10:

1. Kyle Larson
2. Chase Elliott
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Kyle Busch
5. Denny Hamlin
6. William Byron
7. Christopher Bell
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Chase Bricscoe
10. Tyler Reddick

5:11 p.m.: Three laps remain, and Elliott has reduced Larson’s lead to fewer than 3 seconds, but there might not be enough time left to stage the comeback.

5:04 p.m.: Elliott moves into second place behind Larson with just nine laps remaining but trails by more than 5 seconds.

5:02 p.m.: Larson, Truex, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Byron make up your top five with 10 laps remaining. Hamlin, Bell, Harvick, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe make up the remainder of the top 10.

4:48 p.m.: Elliott’s doing good work out there today.

4:45 p.m.: Larson’s in a strong position to win his fifth race this season, but it’s not entirely because of him:

4:42 p.m.: More spinouts, this one from Keselowski, who spins out and hits Logano. The road race is getting the better of a lot of drivers, but not bringing up too many cautions thus far.

4:29 p.m.: And there goes Bell.

4:15 p.m.: This is shaping up to look like a close race. …

4:05 p.m.: Caution 4 (Lap 40). And there’s Stage 2 in the books. Truex wins. The top 10:

1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Christopher Bell
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Kyle Larson
5. Chase Briscoe
6. Ross Chastain
7. Matt DiBenedetto
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Joey Logano
10. Kyle Busch

3:51 p.m.: A little bumpy out there, isn’t it?

3:43 p.m.: Caution 3 (Lap 25). James Davison spins and stalls out on Turn 6, which is proving problematic for drivers.

3:36 p.m.: Kurt Busch jumps 11 spots to the front of the pack following the caution.

3:31 p.m.: Caution 2 (Lap 20): The final 10 laps of the stage go through no problem. Your top 10:

1. Joey Logano
2. Kyle Larson
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Tyler Reddick
5. William Byron
6. Kyle Busch
7. Alex Bowman
8. Chase Elliott
9. Austin Dillon
10. Erik Jones

3:24 p.m.: Logano in the lead, by the way; Keselowski no longer in the top 10 after the caution.

3:18 p.m.: Caution 1 (Lap 10): Competition caution.

3:15 p.m.: And there goes the leader on Turn 6:

3:07 p.m.: Brad Keselowski has lead each of the first three laps at Watkins Glen. He’s followed closely behind Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Reddick, William Byron, Harvick and Alex Bowman in the top 10, respectively.

3:03 p.m.: And they’re off!

2:54 p.m.: Details of Sunday’s race: 90 laps, 220.5 miles and stages ending at Laps 20, 40 and 90.

2:19 p.m.: “I’m here to knock over pins and win races, and I’m all out of pins,” — Aric Almirola, probably.

2:08 p.m.: A significant development for the two-time defending winner at this track:

2:10 p.m.: More information on Elliott and Christopher Bell’s L1 penalties:

NASCAR start time today

• Time: 3 p.m. ET (TV time)
• TV channel: NBCSN (TSN 3,5 in Canada)
• Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV (7-day free trial)

The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International is scheduled to drop shortly after 3 p.m. ET.

While the race might start on time, there’s a small chance drivers will be racing on rain tires. The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday in Watkins Glen, N.Y., calls for a 30 percent chance of rain, with showers and thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m. Otherwise, skies are expected to be mostly sunny and the high temperature is expected to reach the low to mid-80s.

NASCAR starting lineup at Watkins Glen

Here is the complete starting lineup for Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International, the Go Bowling at The Glen.

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