How did Kyle Larson perform at NASCAR GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway?

The GEICO 500 at Talladega was sealed in a splendid manner, with Ross Chastain erupting on the final lap to snatch the win.

Kyle Larson took the fourth place finish. The defending champion has been leading as the favorite to win in most of the races this season.

On Twitter, Hendrick Motorsports updated Kyle Larson as the new leader after he managed to reach position four.

However, in this particular race, he entered with long shot odds of +1600. Since his season debut in 2013, Larson has never clinched a win at Talladega. The fourth-place finish became Larson's best finish at Talladega.

Speaking of Larson's performance over the weekend, it was jaw-dropping. The reigning champion managed to secure a good starting position after collecting pole five during the qualifying race.

Larson was among the few drivers who knew how to maintain his pole until the end of the race and, at the same time, how to enhance his pole position. Pole five was the perfect starting point for Larson to record his first win at a long-track.

How Kyle Larson achieved fourth place at Talladega Superspeedway

A few laps after the race went green, Larson unleashed his full potential, sitting in the top three and eventually taking the lead in the first stage. He went on to hold the lead until Bubba Wallace Jr. overpowered him on the last lap of stage one.

The second stage of the race became more interesting as new drivers took the lead, with Wallace Jr. disappearing from the top ten in stage two. Despite the change of lead driver, Larson was still sitting tight in the top three, finishing third in stage two behind his teammate Chase Elliott.

NASCAR updated on Twitter how the Hendricks Chevy looked strong in stage two.

The final and third stages of the day were the most crucial. Being the last stage, Kyle Larson was not ready to make any risky moves that would have drained his efforts.

He held on to the top five very closely. With seven laps remaining, Kyle Larson and Jones were still fighting for the lead, but Jones kept holding Larson off.

On the final lap, Larson was behind the leader. Larson made an aggressive move, giving Kurt Busch a block and moving to the outer lane to try and take the win.

However, the move went against him as he opened the door for a hungry Ross Chastain, who reached the victory line, followed by Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch.