“Finally, all the hard work by the hundreds of people at our race shop, people who have got me through to the Cup Series, it was all paying off”.
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– In the last few laps of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, tears began to well up in Kyle Larson’s eyes.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is Sunday night September 4, the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
There are still 17 drivers with a chance to make the 16-driver field for the 2016 Chase for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, including AJ Allmendinger and Danica Patrick, if they can get a victory in the three races remaining in the regular season, beginning Sunday in MI.
Kyle Larson took the lead on a restart with nine laps to go and went on to win at MI for his first Sprint Cup victory.
Larson trailed Elliott when Michael Annett blew a tire on Lap 187.
Two months ago, Elliott spun his tires allowing Joey Logano to take the lead and go on to win.
Larson’s victory also snapped a winless streak for Chip Ganassi Racing, as it was the first Cup win for the organization in 99 races.
Martin Truex Jr. looked like the only Toyota that had a shot at winning.
Now, there’s little room for error for Elliott, Dillon and McMurray if they hope to make The Chase.
With a hard push from third-place finisher Brad Keselowski, Larson took the lead on the final restart on Lap 192, as Elliott spun his tires and lost momentum in the outside lane.
The 20-year-old Elliott is winless in 29 starts, but this was an impressive showing for him after eight consecutive races outside the top 10.
Elliott finished second at MI in June as well, losing to Joey Logano.
“That’s a couple races in a row in just a few short months here at this place we had a really good vehicle, had an opportunity”. This one’s different just ’cause of how long we had to wait and how much harder I’ve had to work for it.
But shocker No. 2 of the race came as Kyle Busch led 256 laps, but a broken suspension part and the appearance of Justin Allgaier’s No. 46 vehicle at the worst possible time – lap 359 – led to a 39th-place finish.
“We really struggled badly most of the day”, Edwards said.
He had opportunities driving for Joe Gibbs Racing to potentially get a win in the past, but he wasn’t able to capitalize. After a debris caution came out on Lap 188 (of 200), he and Elliott were positioned on the front row. And who will make the finale and win the title? Buescher is seven points ahead of David Ragan for 30th place on the season.
Also struggling was Alex Bowman, driving for the sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr in the 88 vehicle. I think it’s a small improvement in showcasing driver talent to win races. He needs to finish 30th or better to secure a spot in the 16-driver Chase field. Making the lead even more uncomfortable is that there is only a one-point differential between finishing spots. Elliott is 11th in the standings, the top driver with no victories. In that final lap, a top five within reach, the finish line in sight, AJ Allmendinger wrecked Larson and he lost almost two-dozen points.
It was the 99th series start for Larson, 24, who had 14 top-five finishes before Sunday.
It could have been declared Kyle Larson Day in the Irish Hills as he placed himself in the hunt for this year’s Sprint Cup championship. Having started his career as a road course racer, McDowell has fought the urge to go back to full-time road racing to concentrate on a Sprint Cup career. “You just got to recognize your mistakes, look at the positives, I guess, and move on down the road”. His No. 2 Ford failed the postrace laser inspection. His lead is at 35 points over Bayne, while Larson is tied with Kasey Kahne, 39 off the pace.
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“It’s just a bummer here again”, said Elliott, who finished second. Kyle Larson ultimately won the race.
