Larson gave a rare display – by NASCAR standards – of raw emotion after winning his first Sprint Cup Series race Sunday. “I’m glad to get it before my 100th start next week”.
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“This one’s different just because of how long we had to wait and how much harder I’ve had to work for it”. “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”. But the likeable Clauson never made it as a Sprint Cup driver after competing in the Xfinity Series.
Kyle Larson celebrated his first career Sprint Cup Series win all the while fighting back the tears remembering his fallen friend Bryan Clauson.
Kyle Larson drove away from the field on a final restart and won the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, the first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of his career. “As some of them retire, and we are working with our team owners to bring guys in like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, it really bodes well for the future”. So we stood our ground and we didn’t need a bit tricky chase Elliott delivered a solid drive leading 31 laps and finishing second. It also secured a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with two races left in the regular season.
Both young drivers spun their tires on the restart, but Larson got a push from behind from Brad Keselowski and jumped to the lead. He was in sixth place at the time – but quickly dropped outside the top 30 after the engine stopped performing at full strength. Elliot, who finished second in the previous race at MI, had the lead with only ten laps remaining.
But, when you look at how he’s run this year and how he and crew chief Chad Johnston have come together, I don’t see how you could say, “This kid’s not going to win a race”. I just got a better push then he did. “If we make it to Homestead, I’d be super excited because we can run in the top there pretty good”. The caution gave him another shot, though, and he took advantage. “We’re really missing Brian”. Took me a few months to win when I got into USAC.
There were only four cautions in the 200-lap, 400-mile race.
Larson had led 140 total laps in the races before MI, finished in the top five four times, and the top 10 seven times. Pocono victor Chris Buescher lost a cylinder at the outset, finished 35th, and held onto a seven-point lead over David Ragan for the 30th spot in the standings. 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. Fortunately for Buescher, 31st-place David Ragan didn’t gain enough to pass him.
Filling in for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earning a Chase berth will do that, apparently. The top 16 drivers, based on wins then points, make the 10-race Chase for the Championship.
“Definitely a bummer here again”, said Elliott, who had a strong No. 24 auto all day. Kyle Busch is second at 51. “We’ve been on the cusp for so many years”. That’s a couple of races in a row in a few short months at this place where I had a really good vehicle and had an opportunity. We could have raced.
When they exited just seconds later, Elliott, after all others had stopped for service, was out front. Last weekend, it was Larson and Elliott going 1-2. Kasey Kahne was in fifth at that point.
This is Hendrick’s longest losing streak since a 22-race dry spell from 1993 into 1994.
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Edwards finished seventh, Hamlin ninth, Kenseth 13th and Busch was 19th after spinning early in the race.
