Posted on by Reid Spencer

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — 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.

When Larson subsequently took the checkered flag to win the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career, the emotion was all but overwhelming — and for good reason.

The victory came in Larson’s 99th start in the series, long after most observers expected Larson to record his first win. It also broke a 99-race drought for Chip Ganassi Racing, dating to Jamie McMurray‘s victory at Talladega in October 2013.

With the triumph, Larson earned a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in his career, moving winless Ryan Newman 15 points out of the last Chase-eligible position with two races left in the regular season.

With Brett Moffitt winning in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Michigan and Michael McDowell prevailing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. — both on Saturday — Larson’s triumph capped the first weekend in NASCAR history that produced first-time winners in all three national series.

It also marked the first time a graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next programs has reached Victory Lane in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The emotions of the moment, however, were magnified by the recent death at age 27 of Bryan Clauson, who was fatally injured in a midget car accident on Aug. 6 in Belleville, Kan. Larson came to NASCAR from open-wheel racing, and he and Clauson were close friends.

“Parked it!” yelled Larson after he took the checkered flag, echoing Clauson’s signature victory cry. The driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet followed with a celebratory burnout that left a trail of rubber across Victory Lane.

Larson then exited his car, took the checkered flag from the flag man and leapt into the arms of his fueler, who had run out into the infield to congratulate his driver.

“I was teared-up that whole last few laps, because I could just feel it,” Larson said. “It was finally going to be it. This one is for the Clauson family. We really miss Bryan. We’re going to miss him. We parked it for him, so that’s really cool.

“We had a lot of work to do for that first third of the race, and got it done. Thanks to (sponsor) Target. Thanks to everyone on this team. (Crew chief) Chad (Johnston) and the pit crew and everybody. We messed up that last stop but we made it back.”

In fact, Larson lost the lead to race runner-up Chase Elliott when both drivers made their final pit stops under green on Lap 156 of 200. Elliott beat Larson out of the pits by a half car-length and began to pull away. But a caution on Lap 187 because of Michael Annett‘s blown right front tire gave Larson the chance he needed.

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. Larson crossed the finish line with a 1.478-second advantage over Elliott, who passed Keselowski for the second spot on Lap 193.

Still seeking his first victory in his rookie season, Elliott had an opportunity to win at Michigan in June but likewise fell victim to a late restart.

“Bummer again here,” said Elliott, making no attempt to hide his disappointment. “I hate to let my guys down is the biggest thing. For the second time, this has happened. I made a mistake early on in the race. I asked my guys to bail me out (on the final pit stop), and they did. Unfortunately, I didn’t do my part again.

“That’s a couple races in a row in just a few short months here at this place we had a really good car, had an opportunity. That’s one thing I try really hard to do is make the most of opportunities when they’re presented. Obviously I didn’t do a very good job of that here both trips. Need to do my restarts a little better. That’s obviously not a strong point, at least here at Michigan.”

The second-place finish, however, solidified Elliott’s position relative to the Chase. He’s currently 11th in the standings, highest among drivers without a victory and 27 points ahead of Newman, who finished 17th on Sunday.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ryan Blaney finished fourth, holding off fifth-place Kevin Harvick and sixth-place Jimmie Johnson over the final nine-lap run.

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ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Michael McDowell’s Twitter handle is @Mc_Driver.

 

After Saturday, he may want to consider changing it — to something like @Mc_Winner.

 

McDowell led 24 of the final 25 laps of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville for his first victory in 94 series races.

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular finished .534 seconds ahead of his Richard Childress Racing teammate Brendan Gaughan after two late restarts, including a green-white-checkered that pushed the race to 48 laps from its scheduled 45.

 

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Brennan Poole was the top-finishing rookie, third, in his first start at Road America, after starting 12th.

 

The top three drivers were in Chevrolets.

 

The victory was the perfect finish to some unfinished business McDowell had at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile racetrack. In 2011, he started from the pole position and led a race-high 30 laps, but ultimately finished 12th. In 2012, he started second and finished second.

 

“It means a tremendous amount to me,” said McDowell, who will compete in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. “I’ve been so close here at Road America. To finally finish it off was huge.”

 

It almost wasn’t, as Gaughan’s late charge nearly spoiled McDowell’s day. The 2014 race winner spent much of the day running in the second half of the top 10 after getting out of pit stop sequence with the leaders. On the penultimate lap, though, Gaughan bolted from fourth-place to second after making a three-wide pass of Daniel Suarez and Justin Marks in Turn 5. From there, McDowell — and victory — was within reach.

 

“When you’re racing your teammate you’ve got to have a little more respect maybe than normal,” Gaughan said. “I almost got close enough to him to make him make a mistake.”

 

McDowell didn’t waver and pushed the Childress team’s winning streak at Road America to three, joining Paul Menard (2015) and Gaughan (2014).

 

The win was not without incident. Team Penske‘s Alex Tagliani, who started from the pole position for the second time in two NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Road America, maintained that a Lap-29 tangle with McDowell was deliberate.

 

“We were the car to beat,” said Tagliani, who led 17 laps and had just regained the top spot going into Turn 5 when he was bumped from behind by McDowell and spun going into Turn 6. “The opportunity presented itself and he took the fastest car on the track out.”

 

Tagliani, who finished second here in 2014, wound up seventh.

 

McDowell, when asked about the incident during his post-race press conference, said it wasn’t intentional.

 

“He went wide in Turn 5 and I got under (Justin Marks) and (Tagliani),” McDowell said. “I was alongside of him and he just decided to turn in. Once we made contact, I just came off the brake and pushed him out of the way. And the reason I did that is because if had I not, I’d have been stuck there too and I would have got run over.”

 

The race was slowed by six caution flags for 13 laps, including one for light rain.

 

Elliott Sadler leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship standings by 47 points over Daniel Suarez.

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — Spencer Gallagher said he didn’t know how fast he was going when his No. 23 Chevrolet collided with the No. 4 Toyota of Christopher Bell.


“I don’t want to know,” a shaken Gallagher said after exiting the care center Saturday, the Careers for Veterans 200 under caution and workers clearing debris from the hard two-truck crash.


Bell, his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota running second, had charged inside of leader Cole Custer (JR Motorsports) in Turn 3 on Lap 75 of the 100-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event. But the back end of the vehicle tried to pass the front end — spinning up the track and into the path of the oncoming entry of Gallagher.


The impact was frightening. So much so that Gallagher, after exiting his truck, quickly made his way back to Bell’s damaged vehicle.


“That was a vicious hit for me so I had to see that he was fine,” Gallagher, battling for fourth at the time, said. “Everyone is jockeying so hard for position and it’s so easy to pull another guy around, not even trying to, just racing hard. …


“Poor Christopher got sucked around on the bottom there; I tried to get up and away from him as quickly as I could and couldn’t get it done in time. After I came to rest, I didn’t know where I hit him but I didn’t think I got him in any kind of a good place. I got out and took off running to him because I was afraid for the safety of a fellow competitor.


“I was just hoping so much in my heart he was all right. It put the fear of God in me, seeing how that unfolded. Apologies to the safety officials for having to chase after my dumb ass but I needed to see with my own eyes that he was OK.”


The race, delayed by rain, was won by Brett Moffitt with a last-lap pass. Bell, who was also was not injured, was credited with a 24th-place finish; Gallagher was scored in 25th.


“Just really bummed for everybody who works on this (truck),” Bell said afterward, “because we had a really fast Tundra today. I felt like I did a really good job all race just kind of biding my time.


“I knew I had a fast truck and was just trying to take care of it. I got the opportunity there late in the race … maybe should have waited a little bit but had the opportunity. I tried to take it and it didn’t work out.”


Bell fell to seventh in points but with a win at St. Louis earlier this season, is basically assured of a spot in this year’s inaugural Chase for the series.


“Kind of frustrated with myself there,” he said. “Still had a lot of race to go. … Maybe it was a little too early to go for it.”


Gallagher dropped two spots to 14th.


Officials called Gallagher to the hauler after the race for exiting his truck and approaching another vehicle.


“They’re going to want to talk to me,” he said. “I understand it’s against … policy but in that moment I was concerned about Christopher. … There were plenty of safety officials around me, there were no active race cars around so I took off running; I needed to see him with my own eyes.”

Posted on by Nascar

RELATED: Standings heading into Sunday


BROOKLYN, Mich. — It’s an unfortunate yet familiar position for Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

Unfortunate because with only three races remaining before the 16-team field is set for this year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, Kahne finds himself winless on the season and 17th in points.

Familiar because the 36-year-old has been here before.

Kahne slid into the Chase field in 2014, the inaugural season of the format awarding positions to full-time competitors that managed at least one victory through the season’s first 26 races, with a late victory at Atlanta, just one stop from the cutoff event.

Three races remain before this year’s field is set, beginning with Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 here at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Then it’s on to Darlington and Richmond to determine the remainder of this year’s Chase field before the playoff opener at Chicagoland Speedway.

Two years ago, the final three-race run consisted of stops at Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond.

“I don’t think that was anything like this year; I think this is a lot different,” Kahne said Saturday at Michigan. “That was a great night for us and we were right there all night, got in the right position on restarts … we were fast all night. I think restarts were big for us. I could run really fast for 15 laps. It’s been a while since we’ve been like that.”

Indeed. The Atlanta win was Kahne’s 17th but it was also his last. He enters Sunday’s race shadowed by a 70-race winless streak. In the meantime, Kahne’s Hendrick teammates have won 14 times since his Atlanta victory.

“For us, I think it’s been so many areas, so many little things that add up to being four-tenths (of a second) off per lap often,” he said. “I don’t think it’s from a lack of effort because the effort is there. But it’s maybe working in the right areas or trying to understand things that will make it easier for me to drive for my driving style. That’s been a huge part of the last couple of years.

“It doesn’t matter what other guys are doing, (it’s) ‘what will help Kasey? What will help him with his car because he drives a little different?’ I feel like this weekend we’ve kind of done our thing and it seems to be working pretty well so car.”

Ten Sprint Cup drivers have one or more wins this season and sit inside the top 16, virtually assuring themselves of a slot in the Chase. Tony Stewart and Chris Buescher also have one win each, and while further back in points, their status likely leaves only four Chase positions up for grabs.

Seventeen others are still mathematically alive, should they earn a win in one of the next three races. If no different winners emerge, points will be used to determine the remaining spots.

Kahne trails the holder of the last spot in the Chase Grid, Ryan Newman by 39 points, with Trevor Bayne and Kyle Larson sandwiched between the two and chasing one of the final playoff spots as well. Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray and Newman are just on the right side of the Chase bubble as of now.

Hendrick drivers qualified second (Johnson), fifth (Elliott), sixth (Alex Bowman driving in place of Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and 11th (Kahne) at Michigan. It is the seventh time this season Kahne will start from the No. 11 spot on the 40-car grid.

“We run 13th to 18th every week; we qualify there and we race there,” Kahne said. “That’s just the speed we have. And then we do the same thing the next week. It’s nice to do something a little different this week and to have speed to show it’s helping.”

Kahne, 10th in Saturday’s morning practice and fourth in the weather-shortened final session, has qualified for the Chase five times, the last coming in ’14.

Posted on by Staff Report

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The start of Saturday’s Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski‘s Checkered Flag Foundation has been delayed by inclement weather in the area of Michigan International Speedway. The 100-lap race was originally scheduled to get underway at 1:13 p.m. ET on FS1, but that was before rain and thunderstorms moved across the 2-mile track.

After about a two-and-a-half hour delay, the green flag for the race came at 3:47 p.m. ET.

John Wes Townley won the pole position in his No. 05 Jive Communications/Zaxby’s Chevrolet. Alongside Townley on the front row is two-time Camping World Truck Series champion Matt Crafton in the No. 88 Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Toyota for ThorSport Racing.

Five-time Truck Series winner William Byron starts third in the No. 9 Liberty University Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Alongisde Byron in Row 2 is the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota of Timothy Peters, who holds the eighth and final spot in the Chase Grid.

The Michigan race is the 14th of the season and third-to-last before the Chase field is set after the Chicagoland race on Sept. 16

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HScott Motorsports unveiled the throwback paint schemes that Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Chevrolet) and Michael Annett (No. 46 Chevrolet) will sport at Darlington Raceway for next week’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 (Sept. 4, 6 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Bowyer’s car honors 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Benny Parsons. The paint scheme sponsored by 5-hour Energy features Parsons’ name just below the net opening and photos of the racer on the hood. The scheme itself is a tribute to the L.G. DeWitt deep-orange with blue wheels ride from Parsons’ championship season of 1973. 

Parsons compiled 21 premier series wins over a 21-year career. Parsons was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Parsons also transitioned into television work following his NASCAR career, commentating for NBC and TNT until his passing in 2007, at the age of 65.




Annett’s car pays tribute to the logos of sponsor Pilot Flying J.


Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full practice results | Top 10 consecutive lap averages

Denny Hamlin set the pace in final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, but damaged his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota in a spin midway through the session.


Hamlin, who qualified third in Friday’s Coors Light Pole Qualifying, clocked a lap of 197.878 mph in Saturday’s final practice. The session, originally scheduled for 50 minutes, was halted with approximately 27 minutes left because of lightning in the area of the 2-mile track.


Hamlin told NBCSN that the car got loose “out of the blue” as he navigated Turn 4. He avoided contact with the wall, but did slight damage when the nose of his car dug into the grass bordering the frontstretch. Hamlin indicated the team did not expect to deploy the reserve car.


RELATED: All the cars at Michigan as they’ll line up


Rookie Chase Elliott was second-fastest at 197.786 mph in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet. He was followed by two Hendrick teammates on the leaderboard — third-fastest Jimmie Johnson (197.694 mph) and fourth-best Kasey Kahne (197.455 mph).


Michigan native Brad Keselowski completed the top five in the final prep for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, who secured the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday qualifying, was seventh-fastest.


Alex Bowman, subbing for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet, was 10th-fastest at 196.969 mph.


Stewart atop Saturday’s early practice


Tony Stewart topped the speed chart in Saturday’s morning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session at Michigan International Speedway ahead of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Stewart circled the 2-mile track in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a fast time of 202.122 mph to pace the 55-minute practice session. “Smoke” has one win in the Irish Hills in 33 starts there.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Ryan Blaney (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, 201.427 mph) and Chase Elliott (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 201.196 mph) came in second and third, respectively. Both drivers are in search of their first win in the sport’s top series.

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet, 201.089 mph) and Kyle Larson (No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet, 200.932 mph) completed the top five.

Alex Bowman, who will pilot the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr. this weekend, placed eighth in practice. All told, 12 drivers crossed the 200 mph mark on their laps Saturday morning.

Polesitter Joey Logano placed 16th in the session.


Posted on by Staff Report

RESULTS: Practice 1 | Practice 2 | Practice 3

 

Average speeds for drivers running 10 or more consecutive laps in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Michigan International Speedway:

Practice 1

Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 42   Kyle Larson 1 10 194.178
2 14     Tony Stewart 1 10 193.710

Practice 2

Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 18 Kyle Busch 2 11 199.713
2 48 Jimmie Johnson 1 10 199.578
3 88 Alex Bowman(i) 2 11 199.403
4 5 Kasey Kahne 1 10 198.817
5 1 Jamie McMurray 10 19 198.165
6 19 Carl Edwards 10 19 198.115
7 24 Chase Elliott # 2 11 197.939
8 4 Kevin Harvick 10 19 197.802
9 2 Brad Keselowski 14 23 197.462
10 15 Clint Bowyer 1 10 197.177
11 83 Matt DiBenedetto 1 10 192.298

 

Practice 3

Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 42 Kyle Larson 1 10 196.346
2 24 Chase Elliott 1 10 196.015
3 48 Jimmie Johnson 1 10 195.995
4 5 Kasey Kahne 1 10 195.789
5 47 AJ Allmendinger 1 10 195.703
6 1 Jamie McMurray 1 10 195.514
7 41 Kurt Busch 1 10 195.442
8 31 Ryan Newman 1 10 195.322
9 20 Matt Kenseth 1 10 194.883

*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, #Rookie