Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe involved in early Atlanta crash in Stage 1

NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe crashed out early in Sunday’s postseason opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Larson was running in third place through Turns 1 and 2 at Lap 56 when his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet snapped loose in the center of the turn. An overcorrection shot Larson nose-first into the outside retaining SAFER barrier and into a skid. Briscoe, who was 14th across the start/finish line before the incident, could not avoid Larson’s back bumper, resulting in heavy, race-ending damage for the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

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Neither driver was able to continue due to the damage incurred in the wreck. Larson will be credited with a 37th-place finish and Briscoe 38th — last — with both earning just one point in Sunday’s Quaker State 400.

Larson entered the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the No. 1 seed with a 35-point advantage above the elimination line. Briscoe, who earned his way into the 16-driver postseason bracket with a win in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in the Sept. 1 regular-season finale, entered 13th in the playoff standings, tied with Alex Bowman and Harrison Burton but beneath the elimination line.

The Round of 16 consists of races at Atlanta, Watkins Glen International (Sept. 15) and Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 21) with the bottom four drivers without a victory in the 16-driver grid eliminated from championship contention following the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.

Their crash occurred with just four laps remaining in Stage 1 at Atlanta, ending the stage under caution conditions. Ryan Blaney, the defending Cup champion, earned the stage victory over Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman and Joey Logano, all playoff drivers, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top five. Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top 10.

This story will be updated.