Posted on by Jason Lofing

RELATED: Full schedule

Michael Conti snapped a winless streak that dated back to August 2014 by winning the NASCAR PEAK Antifreeze Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday night. The former series champion started fifth and was strong all evening, leading 57 of 125 laps. Conti outdueled polesitter Zack Novak, who spent 50 laps at the point before falling to Conti on pit strategy on the last run.

Novak crossed the line 2.7 seconds behind Conti. Novak pitted one lap early and briefly took the lead thanks to his fresh tires. However, Conti’s one-lap fresher tires made all the difference as the 2014 champ reeled him in, flew around Novak on the outside, and pulled way for victory.

Logan Clampitt finished third and clenched a spot in the NPAS playoffs. Taylor Hurst came home fourth and Dylan Duval was fifth.

Novak had the quickest car early, leading the first 24 laps from the pole as Conti settled into second. A caution for Brad Davies’ spin slowed the field for the only time in the race and brought the field to the pits for tires and fuel. Novak kept the lead with a solid stop, but he no longer had the luxury of a comfortable lead.

This time, Conti had the speed to keep up and stuck to Novak’s back bumper as the run wore on. Conti finally made his move on Lap 42, taking the lead off Turn 2. Novak would not go quietly and on Lap 45 Novak returned the favor in Turn 2, recapturing the top spot.

The two ran nose to tail once again until Conti capitalized on Novak’s mistake off Turn 4 on Lap 51 and took the lead for the second time. Conti would continue to lead until he pitted for tires and fuel on Lap 55 under green. Novak followed three laps later, but the differing strategies let Conti pull out to a lead of over half the front straightaway.

Fresher tires and a fast car allowed Novak to slowly chase Conti down and by Lap 88 he was once again on his bumper. Instead of passing for the lead Novak decided to undercut Conti and pit on Lap 89, one lap before the leader. The stop gave Novak the lead for a moment before Conti motored by on Lap 95.

Michigan also marked the end of the regular season, and the top eight drivers in the standings will now do battle in the first ever NPAS playoffs. Ryan Luza will lead the eight into the postseason with his three victories, followed by Bobby Zalenski and Ray Alfalla with two each. Novak is seeded fourth with one win. Corey Vincent, Marcus Richardson, Logan Clampitt, and Christian Challiner also qualified for the playoffs but have not won a race thus far in 2017.

The playoffs will kick off at Darlington Raceway and with Zalenski’s regular season points lead erased, it truly is an eight-driver fight for the title. Luza comes in as the odds-on favorite but Alfalla has the experience of a close championship battle under his belt. Zalenski and Novak should not be discounted either as both have shown race-winning speed in several races this season.

Who will get the playoffs started off on the right foot and who will have work to do when the NPAS leaves Darlington? Find out in two weeks when the series visits Darlington, the track Too Tough to Tame!

Playoff Contenders:
Ryan Luza
Ray Alfalla
Bobby Zalenski
Zack Novak
Logan Clampitt
Christian Challiner
Corey Vincent
Marcus Richardson

Details on the playoff format can be found here: http://www.iracing.com/nascar-peak-antifreeze-series/

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: See the action at Chicagoland

Ten teams took part in a two-day Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series test on Tuesday and Wednesday at Chicagoland Speedway, site of the playoff opener set for Sunday, Sept. 17. Chief among the goals for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and several others were preparation for the playoffs.

With wins at Daytona and Talladega, Stenhouse and his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford team will be part of the 16-driver postseason. Given his dirt background, Stenhouse is a fan of the aging track surface at the 1.5-mile track.

“Finally, we are in the playoffs,” Stenhouse during a break in testing. “We always come to Chicago and the last few years, we’ve always kind of said as a team and acting like we were in the playoffs and tried to put the best 10-race stretch we could together. I feel like we got a little practice, even though we were not in the playoffs the last couple of years, but I think we’re ready.

“There’s some good tracks for us in the playoffs starting here in Chicago. … Nice being able to come here and test and see if we can improve our car for when we show up.”

Ryan Blaney, who will be in the 16-driver playoff as well thanks to his Pocono win in June, felt the test was beneficial to get prepared for not just the start of the playoffs, but the fact that half of the 10 postseason races are on 1.5-mile tracks.

“This place is a really, really fun race track and it’s only of those places you can run on the bottom all the way to the wall,” Blaney said during a break in testing. “You’re constantly moving every single lap and those are some of the best 1.5-mile tracks we have and this is definitely one of the better ones.

“I think it’s a great place to kick off the playoffs and that’s another great thing about testing here, being in the playoffs you can kind of get a head start on what is going to be like, hopefully.”

On hand to represent their respective organizations were seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick Motorsports), Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing), Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing), Ty Dillon (Germain Racing), Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing), Brad Keselowski (Team Penske), Stenhouse Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing), Aric Almirola (Richard Petty Motorsports), Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing).

In addition to the teams testing, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota had their respective wheel force cars on hand at the 1.5-mile track to gather data. Alex Bowman (Chevrolet), David Ragan (Ford) and Drew Herring (Toyota) handled the testing work for their respective manufacturers.

According to the NASCAR National Series Master Unified Test policy, no more than one team from each company may take part in an organizational test. Two more organizational tests remain: Oct. 10-11 at Martinsville Speedway and Oct. 24-25 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

Two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams were penalized following the LTi Printing 200 last weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

The No. 99 MDM Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection and was handed an L1-level penalty. Under section 20.4.12.b of the NASCAR Rule Book concerning the truck bed cover it states, “Vent holes at the bed top must be configured for air intake only.”

In his first NCWTS start of the season, Darrell Wallace Jr. scored the victory at Michigan. However, the finish was ruled encumbered and crew chief Shane Huffman was suspended from the next Truck Series race (tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway). Huffman was fined $5,000 and MDM Motorsports was docked 10 owner points.

The No. 98 ThorSport Racing Toyota was also penalized, incurring two penalties after last Saturday’s race. An L1-level penalty was issued after the truck failed height measurements (section 20.17.3.2.1.2) in post-race inspection. Crew chief Jeff Hensley was fined $5,000 and suspended from the next Truck Series event, and the team was docked 10 driver and owner points. Driver Grant Enfinger’s eighth-place finish was encumbered and the point penalty pushes him to 24 points out for the last spot in the eight-driver field.

Additionally, a safety penalty (section 20.17.2.1 of the NASCAR rulebook) was issued after weight was found to be affixed improperly during pre-qualifying inspection.

Hensley was suspended for an additional race, giving him a two-race suspension, and truck chief Josh Hankish was also suspended for the next two Truck Series races. Enfinger’s eighth-place finish remains encumbered.

Posted on by Kelly Crandall

RELATED: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s complete history at Bristol

For his final full-time season as a driver, NASCAR.com will offer an analytical preview on Dale Earnhardt Jr. ahead of every remaining Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Race: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Date: Saturday, Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Preview five results at Bristol: 38th, second, ninth, 16th, 39th

RELATED: Recap all of Junior’s Monster Energy Series wins

Notable: Bristol Motor Speedway is one of Earnhardt’s best tracks on the circuit. In 34 career starts, Earnhardt has earned 16 top-10 finishes and eight top-five finishes. He has one Bristol win, which came in this race back in 2004. Earnhardt has also led the sixth-most laps at Bristol (among active drivers) at 790, and his 13.3 average finish is third-best only to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Memorable: Earnhardt was simply untouchable at Bristol in the summer of 2004. As such, Earnhardt became the first driver to sweep both the XFINITY and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at the track in the same weekend. In the Friday night XFINITY race, Earnhardt started from the pole and led 125 of 256 laps on his way to the victory. The next night, Earnhardt came through the field from the 30th starting position and led 295 of 500 laps as he scored his first premier series win at Bristol, celebrating with a memorable, “It’s Bristol, baby!” shout in Victory Lane.

Quotable: “The track itself is real unique. There’s not another one like it,” Earnhardt said in a team release. “It has always been a surprise to me that nobody has ever tried to emulate it somewhere else because it’s such an incredible place. Particularly when it was asphalt, it was quite the racetrack. And it’s surprising to me that nobody has tried to rebuild that sort of racetrack somewhere else to see how it would do. But maybe it’s best there’s only one. It’s still a lot of fun to race on even though it’s changed quite a bit. And, I always thought that was one of the coolest trophies. It was taller than me for quite a large part of my life. Until I graduated from high school, I don’t think I was any taller than that trophy, and daddy had a bunch of them in the house. He had a lot of clocks. He had a lot of Bristol trophies. And I wanted one of each. So, I feel lucky to have those now.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Full standings

Already clinched: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon.

Bristol scenarios: No one can clinch on points yet. The only way a driver can clinch a playoff spot is with a win and a top 30 spot locked up. Drivers from Ty Dillon (23rd in points) and higher have already locked up a top 30 spot and would automatically clinch a spot with a win. Paul Menard, Chris Buescher, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell and Danica Patrick need a win and some help to lock up a spot.

Note: Martin Truex Jr. can clinch the regular-season championship if he leaves Bristol with a 121-point lead over second place (or a 120-point lead on second place if the second-place driver has only one win leaving Bristol). He currently has a 129-point lead on second place.

NASCAR XFINITY Series

Full standings

Already clinched: William Byron, Justin Allgaier.

Bristol scenarios:
–Ryan Reed, who has a win, needs to clinch a top-20 spot to officially clinch a playoff spot. He can do that on his own by scoring 56 points. Reed can also clinch a top-20 spot with help.
—Elliott Sadler can clinch a spot by scoring five points, if there’s a new winner. If there’s a repeat winner (or an ineligible driver wins, he would clinch regardless of finish. UPDATE: Sadler clinched a spot at Bristol
—Brennan Poole, Daniel Hemric, Cole Custer and Matt Tifft would clinch a spot with a victory.
—Dakoda Armstrong, Blake Koch, Brendan Gaughan and Michael Annett would clinch with a win, and with help earning a top-20 points position.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Full standings

Already clinched: Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton.

Bristol scenarios:
—Kaz Grala, who has a win, would clinch if there’s a repeat winner or an ineligible winner. UPDATE: Grala has clinched a playoff spot.
—Chase Briscoe would clinch with a win. He could clinch on points with a repeat or ineligible winner and help.
—Ryan Truex would clinch with a win.
—Ben Rhodes, Grant Enfinger and Noah Gragson can clinch with a win and help.

Posted on by Staff Report

VOTE: For your favorite Darlington scheme

Vote now for your favorite Darlington throwback scheme for the 2017 Bojangles’ Southern 500 at 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 3 at Darlington Raceway (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

This year’s throwback theme is highlighting the era between 1985-89, and there are plenty of great tributes to the drivers who dominated racing back then.

But only one scheme will be crowned the best, and you can have a say in who that will be by voting early and often. The polls are open from Aug. 15 to Sept. 1, and the winner will be announced before the race.

MORE: Buy tickets for Darlington

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, NC — Team Penske announced today two of the four drivers that will compete full time for the team in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, racing the cars of the recently-announced Acura Daytona Prototype International (DPi) program. Legendary Verizon IndyCar Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya will team up with sports car champion Dane Cameron to pilot one of the team’s two ARX-05 entries.

Team Penske and Acura Motorsports will announce its other two full-time drivers, as well as additional drivers for the endurance races, at a later date.

The official unveiling of the new ARX-05 race car will take place on Friday as part of Monterey Car Week in California, while the full team will make its competition debut with the new Acura prototype sports cars at the 2018 season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

“We worked together with our partners at Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development (HPD) to bring together drivers that we believe will help develop our program and compete for race wins right out of the gate while also serving as great ambassadors for their brands,” said Roger Penske. “Having Juan and Dane join our program brings together two drivers that have extensive sports car racing experience in the prototype class and have already won at the top levels of the sport. This represents a great beginning to our program for 2018.”

Montoya is one of the most accomplished competitors in racing. Few drivers in motorsports history can match the credentials of the fiercely-competitive Colombian. He is the only driver to win an INDYCAR championship, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Daytona, all in his first attempt. He is also a former winner of one of the most prestigious races in the world – Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix. Montoya and legendary racers Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney are the only drivers that can boast wins in Formula 1, INDYCAR and NASCAR. In addition, Montoya has won two Indianapolis 500s — including the 2015 race with Team Penske, the 24 Hours of Daytona three times and he earned seven Formula 1 victories in his career. Montoya is currently helping to test and develop the new INDYCAR aero kit that will debut in 2018 and he will also test the new ARX-05 in preparation for next season.

“I have really enjoyed working with Roger and Team Penske over the last four years,” said Montoya. “When Roger asked if I’d like to be part of starting this new sports car operation with Acura, it was an easy decision. I’ve always loved racing sports cars. It’s definitely a challenge and it’s going to be a lot of fun to develop a new car with Acura. I’m excited to start the testing of the ARX-05 next week. Team Penske started its winning tradition in sports cars and it’s going to be cool to be a part of a new chapter with the team.”

Cameron comes from a racing family and brings a winning sports car track record to Team Penske starting next season. The son of longtime winning racing engineer Rick Cameron, Dane is a two-time and reigning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series champion. He currently competes in the series prototype class for Action Express Racing and he’s earned one win (at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) and four podium finishes so far in 2017. Over the course of the last three seasons behind the wheel of the Action Express prototype, Cameron has produced five class victories and he captured the 2016 series title. With 12 career sports car wins across Grand-Am, American Le Mans and the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, Cameron also won the 2014 IMSA GTD championship driving for Turner Motorsports.

“Getting a chance to race for Team Penske is like a dream come true for a driver,” said Cameron. “To see all of the effort and resources that Acura Motorsports is putting into this new program to develop and win with the ARX-05, it’s really impressive. I’m so excited for the opportunity to become part of the team and work with a guy who has done all the things Juan has done. It’s going to be an awesome experience to add my name to the list of drivers that have driven for Team Penske. I’m looking forward to a busy off season and coming out of the gates strong at Daytona.”

The Acura ARX-05 (Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 5) is the latest in a line of endurance prototypes to be fielded by the company dating back to 1991, just five years after the 1986 launch of the Acura brand.  Based on the very successful ORECA 07 chassis, the new ARX-05 prototype features Acura-specific bodywork and utilizes the race-proven, production-based Acura AR35TT twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine.

The multi-year program will be administered by Honda Performance Development, the racing arm for both Acura Motorsports and Honda Racing in North America.

Posted on by Steve Luvender

NASCAR’s second trip of the season to Michigan was an eventful one — from talks of sandbagging, to the age-old “team orders” discussion, to a busy week for Kyle Larson. How’d we feel about it? Well, there are always thumbs up and thumbs down.

 

Thumbs Up: Being really good at one thing

 

On Sunday, Larson notched his third win of the season, and the fourth of his young career. His four race wins have come at Michigan, Auto Club Speedway, Michigan, and Michigan.

 

That means every single one of Larson’s wins, dating back to this very race a year ago where he scored his first victory, have come at 2-mile, D-shaped ovals.

 

Since we’re done with 2-mile D-shaped ovals for the season, that means Larson has had a total monopoly on wins at such race tracks from August 28, 2016 until at least March 18, 2018 when NASCAR returns to Auto Club Speedway, the next 2-mile, D-shaped oval.

 

While we know Larson is an uber-talent, he gets a thumbs up for being really good at one thing — winning races on 2-mile, D-shaped ovals, apparently.

 

Thumbs Down: Not sealing the deal

 

It looked like Sunday’s race might have been Martin Truex Jr.’s to lose as he won Stage 2 and led late in the race. 

 

Unfortunately for Truex, as the story’s gone many times before, he wasn’t able to score the victory. If he’d done it, it would have been the first time in his 428-race career that he’d won back to back races, having picked up his fourth win of the season at Watkins Glen.

 

 

Thumbs down for the feeling of expecting a victory, only for it to get swept away. At least Truex has a lot of playoff points.

 

Thumbs Up: Being a good boss

 

It took a little convincing from fans on social media, but Larson’s team owner, Chip Ganassi, allowed him to compete in the Knoxville Nationals main event Saturday night.

 

 

 

Larson ended up placing second in the prestigious sprint car race — but, of course, earned the victory in his day job Sunday at Michigan.

 

Thumbs up to Ganassi for being a good boss.

 

Thumbs Down: Being a dangerous boss

 

Of course, while we call Ganassi a good boss, he also showed a bit of aggression this weekend — in a good away, at least — after Larson’s No. 42 took the checkers.

 

WATCH: Chip Ganassi celebrates win with exuberance

 

From not only a near-tackle of his race-winning driver…

 

 

…but to nearly shaking the lights out of his crew chief in excitement.

 

 

 

Thumbs down for being a little too excited.

 

Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Larson’s Laps Led

 

Larson’s earning a lot of thumbs up this week and all for good reason. But one of the most impressive parts of his victory was that he didn’t lead any laps during the 200 scheduled laps of the race.

 

After a restart in overtime, Larson made a bold move to the lead, holding on for the race’s final two laps: Laps 201 and 202.

 

WATCH: Bold move from Larson leads to Michigan three-peat

 

A major thumbs up for being so clutch in closing out the race that you don’t even lead any laps in the scheduled distance of the event.

Posted on by

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 15, 2017) – Hendrick Motorsports has elevated eight senior leaders into new positions designed to strengthen the 12-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champions and enhance the team’s overall management structure. The eight executives, who will assume their new roles immediately, have more than 150 combined years of service with the organization.

“I believe the best leaders serve their teammates, not the other way around,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Servant leadership is an approach that’s been successful for us in both racing and the automobile business, and it’s something our organization has wholeheartedly embraced. These people have grown in our culture and are trusted throughout our company. I’m proud to see them expand their responsibilities as we look toward the future together.” 

Vice president and chief financial officer Scott Lampe has been promoted to executive vice president, making him Hendrick Motorsports’ third-ranking officer after owner Hendrick and team president Marshall Carlson. The Appalachian State University graduate will continue as CFO with responsibility for core business functions that include accounting, aviation, human resources, information technology, legal affairs, purchasing, and real estate. The Durham, North Carolina, native has been with the company for 18 years.

Veteran racer Ken Howes, who has 32 years of service with Hendrick Motorsports, has been named vice president and chief of staff to provide leadership, coordination and support across the organization’s senior executive team and all racing operations. The Johannesburg, South Africa, native previously was vice president of competition and is the company’s most experienced team executive with a decorated auto racing career that spans NASCAR, Formula 1 and IMSA. 

Director of engine operations Jeff Andrews has been elevated to vice president of competition. With 25 years of experience with Hendrick Motorsports, Andrews is now the organization’s senior competition executive supporting its crew chiefs and four NASCAR Cup Series teams. His responsibilities include oversight of the company’s engine operation and the newly formed competition systems group. The Fresno, California, native will be the organization’s representative on the NASCAR competition committee and serve as its co-chair representing Chevrolet teams. 

Nos. 5 and 24 team manager Brian Whitesell has been promoted to the new position of vice president of operations. He will oversee the organization’s vehicle engineering group and direct all vehicle-related production, including chassis, bodies, composites and other unified vehicle production functions. The Stuarts Draft, Virginia, native holds a mechanical engineering degree from Virginia Tech and has 25 years of service with Hendrick Motorsports.

Lampe, Howes, Andrews, Whitesell and longtime vice president of marketing Patrick Perkins will report to Carlson, along with crew chiefs Alan Gustafson, Greg Ives, Chad Knaus and Keith Rodden.

“Without question, our greatest strength is the more than 600 people working at every level inside Hendrick Motorsports,” Carlson said. “We’ve spent a great deal of time listening to team members throughout the organization, front to back, and identified ways to better align management and organize capabilities to take full advantage of our talent. The first priority is our people, and the best way we can serve them is to continue winning races and competing for championships for many years to come. We believe these decisions will help to ensure we meet that goal.”

Other new assignments include:

· Longtime director of engine engineering Jim Wall has been promoted to director of powertrain. In conjunction with Andrews, Wall will continue managing the development and delivery of championship-caliber engines with the added responsibility of overseeing the gear and transmission unit, which will be integrated with the engine operation. The Concord native holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University. He has more than 30 years of service with Hendrick Motorsports. 

· Vehicle production director Darian Grubb has been promoted to director of competition systems, reporting to Andrews. The Floyd, Virginia, native will work to enhance team capabilities that directly support at-track competition with day-to-day oversight of the new competition systems group, which includes the organization’s simulation programs, analytics platforms, data acquisition and communication technologies, and at-track research and development.

· Manager of aerodynamics Diane Holl, a former principle engineer at the McLaren Formula 1 team, has been promoted to director of vehicle engineering, reporting to Whitesell. The Guildford, England, native will lead the vehicle engineering group and integrate the design-and-build processes employed in race car development and production.

· Nos. 48 and 88 team manager Michael Landis has been promoted to director of operational support, reporting to Lampe. The New York City native will provide responsive business services to the competition and operations units with oversight of essential support functions including purchasing, apparel, travel, and logistics and transport.

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Full Michigan race report | Watch Larson’s pass for the win

The bold move Kyle Larson made to win Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway is distinctly reminiscent of the kind of audacious from-the-gut maneuver you might have expected to see former NASCAR stars such as the late Dale Earnhardt or recently-retired Tony Stewart pull off.

Coming from the second row on an overtime restart, 25-year old Larson stuck the nose of his No. 42 Target Chevrolet between the front row cars — Furniture Row Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Erik Jones — boldly pushed it forward and frankly, just took off to win the race. They were the only two laps he led on the day.

But it was Larson’s third consecutive win at the Michigan 2-miler located in the backyard of the nation’s automobile headquarters — and the feat tied a mark of three straight wins set by NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Bill Elliott.

Perspective is necessary. Larson is in only his fourth full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ranks, so it’s a little early to straight up compare him to the sport’s Hall of Famers.

But there’s no denying he drives like a lot of them.

In three decades covering Larson’s team owner Chip Ganassi in NASCAR, sports cars and IndyCars, I can’t remember many times when Ganassi was so happy and so effusive with a victory as he was on Sunday.

And this is a champion team owner who has already collected a lot of trophies — 195 exactly — and a lot of championships for the organization. Ganassi has Rolex 24 of Daytona winning watches, sports car season trophies, Indy 500 trophies, and IndyCar Series championships.

And, now perhaps Ganassi feels one of his two drivers — Larson or former Daytona 500-winning veteran Jamie McMurray — may finally deliver NASCAR’s season title.

WATCH: Chip Ganassi celebrates with exuberance | @nascarcasm on Ganassi’s celebrating

Certainly Ganassi’s “energetic” embrace of Larson’s crew chief Chad Johnston on pit road as the checkered flag waved and then his bear hug, high five and head tap for Larson afterward were fun to watch whether you’re a fan of that team or not.

Johnston joked this week that maybe he should wear a HANS device on to make sure he doesn’t suffer a celebratory injury.

Of course there are worse ways to get hurt.

It was all a reminder of why we love to watch racing — a thrilling finish followed by genuine emotion.

“My hat’s off to everybody on the team because the countless hours and the hard work and having to listen to the media and having to listen to everybody the last few weeks, that it’s all falling apart and we’re no good anymore, we were below 23rd or whatever for three races in a row,” Ganassi said. “So my hats off to the team for just hanging in there and not listening to the critics.”

Truex and Jones put up a great fight, and even as gutted as he had to be, the always stand-up Truex answered questions following the race.

“We got beat fair and square, that’s the way it goes sometimes,” said Truex, who explained he spun his tires on the restart and was unable to hold off Larson.

RELATED: Truex Jr. says, ‘We don’t have team orders’

The tight racing for the trophy was still good for NASCAR, which may well be hosting a long playoff battle between Truex and Larson — the classes of the field for much of the regular season.

Twice — at Las Vegas and Kentucky — Larson has finished runner-up to Truex, who essentially has spread out his series-best four victories and led the points for all but three weeks since late May. Larson, on the other hand, had only led 10 laps in the seven races between Michigan trophies this summer.

Yet two laps out front and a trophy hoist last weekend show that Larson and his Chip Ganassi Racing team are primed to join Truex in what looks like another compelling playoff run that may well be decided by these potential first-time title winners.

For many long-time NASCAR fans, Larson’s style is reminiscent of Stewart — willing, able and proficient in an assortment of race cars, competing all week, not just on the NASCAR calendar.

Just last weekend, for example, on a much-viewed social media video post, Ganassi gave Larson “permission” to race sprint cars in the historic Knoxville Nationals on Saturday night.

After winning his heat race earlier in the week, Larson finished runner-up to sprint car great –- and Stewart’s team driver — Donny Schatz in the championship A Main.

It appears that was a great momentum builder for Larson, who has clearly demonstrated he is a “racer’s racer” driving for a “racer’s owner” in Ganassi.

WATCH: Larson says it ‘feels amazing to steal one’

“I woke up this morning extremely confident about today, just being able to race last night and have a lot of fun and get close to winning,” Larson said Sunday.

“I felt like I was going to win when I woke up this morning, and then we got to one point in the race, and I’m like, man, I don’t feel like I’m going to win now, but we just kept fighting and got it done.

“So your mind and your positive thoughts and everything is so important in life, in general, and today we had some not so positive thoughts, I guess, when I kept lining up on the bottom, but we got to think positive and line up at the top at the end.”

Larson predicted the kind of excitement and thrill fans enjoyed at the end of Sunday’s race may be only a taste of what’s to come. For a sport in a sort of generational transition, that’s good on top of good.

“I think it’s an exciting time,” Larson said. “I think a lot of fans right now are kind of sad that we’re losing (Dale) Junior and some other veterans and stuff that are out of rides right now. But I think it’s a great opportunity for our sport to take advantage of that and build on it, market us young guys and try and bring in younger fans, more fans.

“It’s some exciting times for sure because there’s a lot of young guys that are in the XFINITY or Truck Series that are well capable of being Cup drivers in the future if everything goes right. It’ll be interesting to see, though, how the next handful of years play out, but I think it’s going to be great.”