Kyle Larson earned his first Sprint Cup win.
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“I couldn’t quite catch my breath when I got out of the vehicle because I’d been pretty much screaming for two minutes”, Larson said after winning Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400, the first victory of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Chase Elliott, 20, finished second, matching the best finish of his career (set earlier this year at, where else, Michigan).
The young Elliott is famously tough on himself and was consoled by team owner Rick Hendrick and former driver Jeff Gordon after his second place performance on Sunday.
It came down to a couple of good drivers unfamiliar with victory lane.
“This one’s for the Clauson family”, Larson said.
“We really struggled badly most of the day”, Edwards said. “Hopefully we can go back and have another good run”. Shortly after he celebrated his victory, Clauson’s fiancée Lauren Stewart tweeted her gratitude and congratulations. We want to cookie-cutter them into saying, ‘He’s this, this driver is this, this team is that, this team is that.’ Really, they’re all different. I thought we would have been a lot better than that. I got to leave in the end. So thanks to him. The victory was also huge for CGR, breaking a 99-race winless streak for the team as well.
But Ganassi defended Larson’s decision that day and was redeemed on Sunday when Larson beat Chase Elliott on a late restart to claim his victory.
(Buescher) “We had good speed there earlier this year. I look forward to racing him and Chase and Ryan Blaney and all those guys for years to come”.
I was teared-up that whole last few laps because I could just feel it. “It’s a nice gradual coming up through the pack”. “I’m glad to get it before my 100th start next week. Hopefully, that will give us more opportunities down the road”. I can’t say enough about the kid over the last few years.
“I think it’s important to understand that these guys are not robots”.
“It’s like golf. Only one person can win each week”. “We just have to put a weekend together”.
The number 88 auto suffered from an ignition problem and had to go to garage and reboot the system before heading back to the track four laps down.
Also struggling was Alex Bowman, driving for the sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr in the 88 vehicle. He had dropped to 17th place in the standings prior to the race. After 20 more laps, Bowman was forced to take his auto to the garage.
Truex started the race in 14th, and by lap 58 was in the lead. By the second lap he went from 14th to 10th. “Now, I’ll be able to go back and watch this, and it’s going to be awesome”, McDowell said. Throw out a road course race (not his forte) and he was sixth and fifth in the two races before that.
Kyle Larson celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway, in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. He started deep in the field but drove right up there to take the lead. Buescher is seven points ahead of David Ragan for 30th place on the season. If Buescher falls out of the top 30, Newman would be next in line with a 37-point lead on Kasey Kahne for the final spot.
Still seeking his first victory in his rookie season, Elliott had an opportunity to win at MI in June but likewise fell victim to a late restart.
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Kyle Busch: Since Kyle Busch joined Joe Gibbs Racing before the 2008 season, nobody has averaged more fantasy points, laps led or fastest laps than Busch. He spun on Lap 27 and never recovered.
