NASCAR live updates: Kyle Larson wins at Richmond

Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow is at Richmond Raceway and providing updates here during Sunday’s Cup race. See the section below for the latest news. Full results will be posted at the end of the race.

NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway live updates

Stage 3

Lap 400: Kyle Larson got to start on the front row and pulled away from his teammate, Josh Berry, to earn his first win of the season.

Lap 380: Christopher Bell bumps William Byron! Byron spins! Cautions breed cautions, as the cursed saying goes! We’re under yellow once more, but that about ends the chances for a win for the 24 car. No trips down pit road expected. Kyle Larson and Josh Berry will start on the front row once more.

Lap 373: Late-race caution! We’re gonna have a thriller in Richmond! Tyler Reddick, running with worn tires, spins out on a turn. The leaders take a trip down pit road. All four-tire changes. How they cycle out with 23 laps to go: Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola.

Lap 360: Thirty laps to go! A bunch of pit road stops under green have at last cycled through, and the race has emerged as a battle between Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron. Here we go!

Lap 340: Sixty laps to go! Here’s your Top 10: Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin.

Lap 305: Caution is out! Noah Gragson got loose and rammed into the wall. The single-car incident put the field under caution for a sixth time today. “Get me three spots back here,” Hamlin told his crew chief over the radio just now. “I’ll get the rest.”

Lap 290: Let the pit stops under green begin! Aric Almirola kicks it off. Martin Truex Jr. closely follows. All needing four tires on Richmond’s slick track. Denny Hamlin staying out longer than anyone else and then eventually pits. A slow pit stop for the 11 has Hamlin in a bad spot again, but he’s risen through the field before. He’s now 12th. Martin Truex Jr. leads once the field cycles through.

Lap 240: Through two stages, here are the stats of this race: 11 lead changes, seven different leaders and four cautions for 26 laps. Those leaders: William Byron (108 laps), Kyle Larson (67), Christopher Bell (21), Ross Chastain (16) and Denny Hamlin (9).

Lap 237: As cars emerge from pit road, the leaders largely remain in the same place. Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell (fell from P2), Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson (fell from P8).

Stage 2

Lap 230: Denny Hamlin! Wow! The 11 car has been everywhere today — middle of the pack, at the rear after a speeding on pit road penalty, and now, out in front. He won Stage 2. Others winning stage points: Hamlin, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs.

Lap 165: Ryan Blaney mishap! A wrench stays stuck in ceiling as he departs pit road. He’ll have to come back. Tough break. Now one lap down. Kyle Larson also had pit road troubles, bumping into Daniel Suarez. Denny Hamlin stayed out for a longggg time while the rest of the field got fresh tires. The 11 car is now P13 but has fresher tires than anyone else. Will that help the Virginia native close Stage 2 well?

Lap 98: Joey Logano has to take two separate trips down pit road because the right-rear tires don’t feel right. He was running solidly in the Top 10. Now he’s P33. His crew chief assures him over the radio: “Long race to go. 300 laps.” The 22 car rose through the field with relative ease in Stage 1. Can he do it again?

Lap 96: Caution out! Ryan Blaney knocks into Josh Berry left-rear and spins him out. Prompts a caution. The entire field takes a trip down pit road for four new tires.

Lap 77: Green green green! The Top 5 all hold their spots racing off pit road. The Top 10 that begins the second stage: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell.

Stage 1

Lap 70: William Byron takes the Stage 1 win. What’s new? The 24 is followed by Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe. Four drivers have commanded the lead through that first stage: Byron (45 laps), Chastain (16), Bowman (8) and Kyle Busch (1).

Lap 45: JJ Yeley gets spun out on Turn 1 by Denny Hamlin and knocks into the wall. A caution comes out. Looked intentional. The 15 car has a ton of damage. Smoke coming from his left-rear. Joey Logano has already risen to fifth. That 22 is a good car today. Will have 20 laps to go until the stage break once the green flag waves once more.

Lap 30: Competition caution. Four new fresh tires for everyone. Kyle Busch says he is loose off the corners, so the 8 team had to make some adjustments on this pit stop. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. running fast in P5... but is being held up on pit lane. Issues are stemming from a fluid leak, and now he’s heading behind the wall.

Lap 7: Joey Logano starts 18th, but he’s already getting into trouble. Goes three-wide early to move up a few spots. Contact between Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch has Busch falling the field to fifth after starting P2. Top four now: Alex Bowman, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick.

Green flag at 3:48 p.m.: A final NASCAR race this weekend begins!

3:04 p.m.: No cars are being sent to the rear. There’ll be a competition caution on Lap 30 — a product of practice and qualifying being canceled due to bad weather on Saturday. Here’s the minute-by-minute for the proceedings at Richmond Raceway: Invocation: 3:24:20 p.m.; National Anthem: 3:25:015 p.m.; Command: 3:32:00 p.m.; Green Flag: 3:39:00 p.m.

2:27 p.m.: Sunday’s Cup race will punctuate a big weekend for racing. An IndyCar race is going on now as I type this. Formula One saw a wild, three-flag finish this morning. The Xfinity Series finish at Richmond saw a first-career win, and the Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway saw a wild wrecking finish and a driver being taken to the hospital. Out of breath? Fair enough.

1:37 p.m.: West Coast Customs, known for creating impeccably customized cars, will build a street-legal Toyota Camry TRD at Richmond Raceway the next time the Cup Series comes to Richmond Raceway, which is the weekend of July 29. Fans will be able to see it too. Tyler Reddick will assist the build. The driver of the No. 45 Cup car was in the media center Sunday afternoon and explained his excitement for the build — saying he “grew up in a dealership” (both of his parents were car salesmen) and that he fell in love with racing because he was always in love with cars.

1:31 p.m.: Per a report on SportsLine, William Byron and Kyle Larson are each favorites to win the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers are each at +550 to win it all. Then it’s Kevin Harvick — who won the summer race here in 2022 — at +600. Then it’s Christopher Bell (+750), Martin Truex Jr. (+750), Denny Hamlin (+800) and Kyle Busch (+1000).

How to watch NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond

• Race: Toyota Owners 400

• Place: Richmond Raceway

• Date: Sunday, April 2

• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

• Purse: $7,529,485

• TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 300 miles (400 laps around 0.75-mile track)

• Stages: Stage 1 (Lap 70), Stage 2 (Lap 230), Final Stage (Lap 400)

Starting lineup for Toyota Owners 400

The starting lineup was set by the rule book after inclement weather canceled Cup qualifying on Saturday.