Larson flashes superstar potential with playoff win at Dover
Hamlin faded from a dominant early run as Elliott, Logano suffer serious blows Bridge Results
DOVER, Delaware, Oct 7, (AP): Kyle Larson was the can’t-miss future star who tore up the sprint car circuit and would lead a new generation of young stars into the next era of NASCAR.
His promise yet unfulfilled, Larson’s path toward prominence has been slow burning in six-plus years in the Cup Series. He’s been saddled with mediocre cars that not even his raw talent could salvage, and a fantastic 2017 was more a blip than a sign Larson would blossom into a perennial championship contender.
But as Larson stood atop his Chevy with a two-year winless streak behind now head to treacherous Talladega and then Kansas to end the second round without any serious concerns. He’s the first driver of the 12 contenders in the field of eight.
“Everybody in this playoff field is going to be stressing next week at Talladega except for me, so that’s good,” Larson said. “Last time I was at Talladega I was on my lid. I could still end up on my lid next week, but it’s not going to matter after this win.
Larson was expected to help bridge the gap between grassroots racing and NASCAR when Ganassi hired him before the 2012 season. Larson made his name by racing all over the country in any series where he could find a ride. Larson counted 92 races in 2011 and 123 races in 2012 and continued to race in the dirt even when he landed his ride with Ganassi. Larson had talked of wanting to pattern his career after someone like Tony Stewart, who started his career on dirt tracks in open wheel cars. Stewart in turn guaranteed Larson, who is half Japanese, would be the next big thing in NASCAR.
“If not, you can take everything I own, because I’m that confident,” Stewart said years ago. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s when.”
Larson’s not there yet – but just maybe he’s getting there. Here’s what else happened at Dover. Logano and Elliott both had their races ruined before the race even finished 10 laps. Logano failed to start the race because of a broken axle on the No. 22 Ford. He eventually hit the track more than 20 laps down and finished 34th. “We just used our mulligan up,” Logano said. “We’re not a must-win but we must do really well in the next two races.”
Elliott, who won last week at Charlotte,
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had the engine in his No. 9 Chevrolet blow up just laps into the race and he finished last.
Elliott won Dover last season and can’t afford another major slip-up to make the third round.
“I don’t know where we’ll stack up,” he said. “I assume we’ll have to win one of these next few weeks. If you ever make it to Homestead, you’re going to have to win down there.”
Clint Bowyer and Ryan Blaney join Logano and Elliott as the bottom four drivers in the playoff field.
Up next: NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway where Aric Almirola is the defending race winner.