BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kyle Larson has put the playoff field on notice by delivering a historic race win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 2021 Cup Series champion took the lead from pole-sitter Alex Bowman on Lap 33. He went on to sweep the stage wins while setting a Hendrick Motorsports record with the most laps led in a single race.
Jeff Gordon had the previous record at 431 laps led at Martinsville in 1997. Larson led 462 of the 500 laps Saturday night at Bristol.
Chase Elliott crossed the finish line second. Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, and Ross Chastain all delivered top-10 finishes.
MORE: Full race results after Larson's historic win
This historic performance secured Larson's spot in the next round of the playoffs. He joined Atlanta winner Joey Logano, the only other playoff driver to win in the opening round.
Bell, Bowman, Blaney, Hamlin, Briscoe, Cindric, Elliott, Suarez, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick all secured spots in the next round on points.
Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton were all eliminated from championship contention.
Stage 1: Kyle Larson won stage 1. Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott, and Bubba Wallace were all top 10.
Ryan Blaney in 11th, Joey Logano in 14th, Tyler Reddick in 19th, Austin Cindric in 21st, Brad Keselowski in 27th, Harrison Burton in 29th, and Daniel Suarez in 30th all missed out on stage points. It didn't matter for Logano, who locked into the Round of 12 with a win at Atlanta.
Bell locked up his spot in the Round of 12 by scoring enough points in stage 1.
Stage 2: A caution for Logano spinning with a flat tire set up a two-lap shootout to close out the stage. Tyler Reddick stayed out on older tires in an attempt to pick up points. He led on the restart but lost multiple spots.
Larson won stage 2. Truex, Hamlin, Reddick, Bell, Bubba Wallace, Bowman, Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Elliott were all top 10.
Bowman locked up his spot in the Round of 12 by scoring enough points in stages 1 and 2. Harrison Burton headed behind the wall late in stage 2 after losing power steering. He fell 77 laps down before returning to the race.
Next: The Round of 12 begins with a trip to Kansas Speedway. The Cup Series teams will compete at the intermediate track on Sunday, Sept. 29 (3 p.m. ET).