Wreck Spoils Larsons Race at Michigan

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Wreck Spoils Larsons Race at Michigan

Posted: August 18, 2014

Results (with starting position) for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway

1. (1)       No. 42 Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet SS

2. (6)       No. 4 Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet SS

3. (2)       No. 22 Joey Logano, Ford

14. (9) No. 1 McDonald’s Chevrolet SS (McMurray)

43. (13)   No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS (Larson)

In the second race this season at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), things did not go as planned for Kyle Larson and Team Target. The weekend started off well with the team making steady improvements on the Target Chevy during practices to have a fast car ready for the race. Unfortunately, the car sustained damage from contact with another car early in the race while leaving pit road and a blown tire just before the midpoint of the 200-lap event ultimately forced Larson out of the race and resulted in a 43rd place finish.

Leading into the race, the team was confident they had a very good car for MIS, where Larson finished eighth in the June race. While Larson’s speeds early in the weekend were not what the team was initially hoping for, the Target crew was encouraged by the way the car performed under mock-race conditions. And, although Larson narrowly missed making the final round of qualifying, earning a 13th place start, he continued to get better throughout the final day of practice. In fact, he posted the second fastest lap during the final practice behind pole-sitter and eventual race winner Jeff Gordon.

As the race began, Larson quickly showed the speed of the Target Chevy by racing through the field to eighth place by Lap 20 when the competition caution was shown. Unfortunately, Larson’s promising start was dealt a blow during the caution when he made contact with another car leaving pit road. The damage to the left-front of the car required four pit stops to patch up, and effectively took Larson out of contention. Following the repairs Larson continued to work to get the most out of the car, but a blown right front tire on Lap 97 sent the car into the wall between turns three and four and resulted in a small fire. The blown tire and the subsequent damage resulted in an early end to the race for Team Target and a 43rd place finish. Larson, who quickly exited the car under his own power, was uninjured in the incident.

With the result, Larson dropped to 14th in the NSCS point standings, just 36 points out of the 10th position.

NOTES OF INTEREST

• The caution flag came out eight times for a total of 37 laps, and the average green flag run was 18.1 laps

• Larson currently leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 47 points

• There are three races remaining before The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup begins

TCGRFS QUOTEBOARD

Kyle Larson – No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS: “We had a really good Target Chevy this weekend, so that’s why what happened in the race was so disappointing. It’s just a shame because we were up there in the points’ battle for the Chase, so now we have to work even harder to try and get in. We were really good at Bristol earlier in the year so we just have to go back there and try and get a win. Tough day, but thanks to everyone on my team for their hard work to fix the early damage and to NASCAR for developing really safe race cars.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Irwin Tools Night Race on Aug. 23, 2014. ABC coverage of the race will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, Sirius/XM Channel 90 and PRN radio network affiliated stations will also have live coverage.