Larson takes Michigan race
Pole-sitter uses late strong restart for second win of year.
Kyle Larson took control on a restart with five laps remaining and raced to his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season, holding off Chase Elliott on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
It was the third Cup win of Larson’s career — and second in a row at the Brooklyn, Michigan track. Larson and Elliott also finished 1-2 at MIS in August. Elliott was second in both Michigan races last year, and again this time.
Joey Logano finished third Sunday in the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Martin Truex Jr. won the first two stages of the race, but finished sixth overall, ceding the points lead to Larson. Truex has 10 stage victories this year.
Larson also was first in qualifying in his No. 42 Chevrolet.
Truex and Larson were 1-2 in the points standings coming into the race, and Truex was second to Larson in qualifying. Their dominance carried over to the race Sunday, at least at the start. They were the only drivers to lead during the first half of the 200-lap, 400mile race.
There were three cautions toward the end. The first was for debris, and Larson beat Kyle Busch on the inside for the lead on the restart with 15 laps to go.
Then Clint Bowyer went into the wall, bringing out another caution flag. Larson was first off that restart too, only to be slowed by another caution after a multicar incident on the backstretch that included Danica Patrick being knocked off the track and into the wall.
Finally, with five laps remaining, the race restarted, and Larson took the lead on the outside. He won by 0.993 of a second.
Elliott finished second to Logano last June at Michigan and second to Larson in August. Those three were at the top Sunday.
Denny Hamlin, who won Saturday’s Xfinity race, was fourth, followed by Jamie McMurray and Truex.
Busch ended up seventh, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson, who started at the back after going to his backup car, finished 10th.
NASCAR Trucks: John Hunter Nemechek took the lead with four laps remaining and pulled away to win the Camping World Truck Series race late Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill.
Nemechek grabbed the top spot from Matt Crafton in Turns 1 and 2 on the 156th lap and held off pole-sitter Chase Briscoe.
The 20-year-old Nemechek raced to his first victory of the season and fourth in the series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for his father, former NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek.
Johnny Sauter was third, followed by Crafton and defending race champion Christopher Bell. 24 Hours of Le Mans: Veteran German driver Timo Bernhard led Porsche to a dramatic third straight win at the race in France to prevent a huge upset win for the lesser category Oreca team.
After a series of mishaps to pre-race favorites Porsche and Toyota, the LMP2 category Oreca suddenly found itself in the lead with 19-yearold Frenchman Thomas Laurent behind the wheel three hours from the end of the grueling endurance race.
But the 36-year-old Bernhard, racing in the faster and more powerful LMP1 category Porsche 919 Hybrid, overtook the Oreca with about 1 hour remaining. Bernhard finished about one minute ahead of the Jackie Chan DC Racing team car, owned by the famed action movie star.
NHRA: Clay Millican raced to his first career Top Fuel victory, beating Leah Pritchett in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals final in Bristol, Tenn.
The Tennessee driver had a 3.825-second pass at 316.38 mph in the final to Pritchett’s 3.881 at 307.09 mph. He won in his 254th Top Fuel start and ninth final-round appearance.
Ron Capps won in Funny Car and Alex Laughin in Pro Stock.