NASCAR at Pocono 2021 Results: Alex Bowman Takes Checkered Flag on Saturday

Alex Bowman earned his third win of the NASCAR Cup Series season on Saturday in a thrilling finish at Pocono Raceway. 

Kyle Larson looked to be on his way to a comfortable win with a lead of nearly one second over Bowman on the final lap. The No. 5 car blew a tire coming around the last corner, opening up the door for Bowman to steal the victory. 

Larson, who started the race from the pole position, was looking to become the ninth driver in NASCAR's modern era (since 1972) to win four consecutive events overall. He finished in the top three in each of the first two stages. 

If you include the June 13 All-Star event, Larson did come into Pocono riding a four-race winning streak. 

As a result of his tire giving out on the final lap, Larson had to settle for ninth place. This marked the first time he finished outside of the top two in a Cup Series race since the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 2. 

Bowman seemed to be as surprised as anyone by what happened on the final lap. 

If not for Larson's recent run of success, Bowman would probably be the talk of the circuit this season. His three wins are tied with Martin Truex Jr. for second-most this season. He also ranks third in the points standings with 513 after Saturday's victory. 

Despite the bittersweet ending to his day, Larson sounded like he was taking it all in stride during post-race press conference. 

Kyle Busch also benefited from Larson's last-lap tire fail. He wound up moving into second place, his best finish since winning at Kansas on May 2. The two-time Cup Series champion is starting to come alive with four top-10 finishes in the past five races. 

Rounding out the top five were William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. 

Truex's recent string of bad luck continued on Saturday with an 18th-place showing. He has finished outside the top 15 in five of the past six races. 

There won't be much time for anyone to rest. The 140-lap Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 will take place on Sunday. Chris Buescher, who finished 20th on Saturday, will start from the pole position.