2026 Suburban Propane 300 Recap — Larson Dominates, Hits the Wall, Loses to Zilisch
Saturday, April 11, 2026
The Short Version
Kyle Larson led 230 of 300 laps at Bristol, won both stages, and finished second. On lap 298 — two laps from the checkered — Larson got high in turns 3-4 and brushed the wall. Teammate Connor Zilisch pulled away and won by 0.703 seconds. It was a JR Motorsports 1-2. Brent Crews, a rookie (#), stole third. Justin Allgaier finished fourth and collected the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus.
What Happened
William Sawalich led early from the pole — he cleared the field by turn 1 and ran up front through the first quarter of the race. But Larson had worked up to second by lap 61, leading Sawalich by 5.691 seconds. By Stage 1 (lap 85), it was Larson’s night. He won the stage with Sheldon Creed, Ryan Sieg, and Allgaier completing the top four.
Stage 2 ran the same way. Larson led from the front, Creed and Allgaier kept pace, Zilisch was fourth at the stage break at lap 170. The lead changes that did happen came through pit sequences — 13 across the night, seven leaders — but Larson was back in front each time the cycle cleared. JR Motorsports had led 217 laps by lap 260, the most in a single O’Reilly series race in team history.
The race broke open in the final 30 laps.
Lap 280: Brent Crews — the rookie, running No. 19 Toyota, started P17 — challenged Zilisch for the lead from the outside. Lap 281: Crews slid high between turns 1-2 and hit the wall, but stayed in it. Lap 291: Crews and Zilisch ran side by side for three laps before Crews cleared for the lead off turn 4.
Lap 294: Crews got loose off turn 2 and brushed the wall. Zilisch reclaimed the lead. Larson went high in turn 3, passed Crews for second.
Lap 298: Larson — 230 laps led, both stages won, fastest car on the track by any measure — got high between turns 3-4 and brushed the wall. Zilisch pulled away. Two laps later, Zilisch crossed first by 0.703 seconds.
The Defining Moment
Lap 298. Larson had the dominant car and was running down Zilisch in the final laps. Then the wall took the decision out of his hands. A 0.703-second margin isn’t a gift — Larson still had to cover ground — but the wall put Zilisch in position to win a race Larson was in the process of winning.
Numbers That Matter
- Winner: Connor Zilisch (i) — No. 1 Chevrolet (JR Motorsports)
- Margin of Victory: 0.703 seconds
- Cautions: 8 for 59 laps
- Lead Changes: 13 among 7 leaders
- Stage 1: Kyle Larson | Stage 2: Kyle Larson
- Laps led: Larson — 230 | Sawalich — 28 | Zilisch — 24 | Sieg — 13 | Jones — 2 | Clements — 1 | Crews — 3
- Fastest lap: Brent Crews — 119.835 mph, lap 291
- Dash 4 Cash winner: Justin Allgaier (+$100,000); Eligible at Kansas: Allgaier, Kvapil, Crews, Creed
Take
Larson was the best driver in the building Saturday night by a distance. 230 laps led, two stage wins, a JR Motorsports record for laps led in a single race. He lost it in two laps against the wall. That’s Bristol.
The more interesting story for the regular-season picture is Allgaier. He finished fourth, didn’t lead a lap, and still walked out with $100,000 and Dash 4 Cash eligibility at Kansas. His season doesn’t hinge on dominant runs — it hinges on being there at the end when invitational drivers are eating up the stage points. Three wins, a consistent top-five pace, and now a bonus payout. The No. 7 team keeps finding ways to score.
Brent Crews deserves a mention. He’s a rookie — the # marks him as such — and he was side by side with Larson and Zilisch for the lead at Bristol with 10 laps to go. He hit the wall twice in the final 20 laps and still finished third. The speed is real.
Austin Hill finished 21st. He’s had pace in every race this season and has nothing to show for it at Bristol. The pattern is starting to harden.
Notes
- Carson Kvapil started from the rear for an engine change, worked to the top 20 by lap 25, finished fifth
- Ryan Sieg (No. 39 Chevrolet) led 13 laps — ran a strong Stage 1 before fading
- Mason Maggio (No. 91) — car briefly caught fire in the garage on lap 195 after smoking heavily on the backstretch; extinguished without injury, finished 37th
- Garrett Smithley (No. 0) — multiple pit road issues, finished 38th