Larson busy with Knoxville, Michigan Americans complete historic 1-2 finish in Steeplechase
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Kyle Larson is ready for a hectic weekend befitting his status as one of racing’s rising stars.
Larson is set to race in Saturday’s Knoxville Nationals, squeezing in the prestigious sprint car event before returning to Michigan to compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race. Chip Ganassi, Larson’s team owner on the Cup circuit, gave him permission to race Saturday in Knoxville, Iowa. He qualified ninth in his Cup car Friday at Michigan.
“Chip’s allowing me to go to Knoxville (on Saturday), which is great,” Larson said. “Cool weekend for me and really excited for it.”
The 25-year-old Larson has two Cup victories this year — including in June at Michigan — and is third in the standings. He also won at Michigan last August .
Larson performed well enough in qualifying Wednesday to make the field for Saturday’s top race at Knoxville. He said he spoke to Ganassi about it Thursday, after Chevrolet’s event in Detroit introducing its 2018 Cup car.
“My deal with Chip is I can’t race a sprint car or midget or anything really the night before I’m on track,” Larson said.
Larson said Ganassi is making an exception for Saturday night.
“Ultimately, it’s all Chip’s decision,” Larson said. “I know my fans really appreciate it, all my sprint car fans and NASCAR fans. So Chip is a hero today and this weekend. I appreciate it.”
In a video posted on the Twitter account for Chip Ganassi Racing, Ganassi addressed fans who had been calling on him to let Larson race in Saturday’s event.
“I’ve been hearing you all the last few days. My phone and my Twitter account’s blowing up,” Ganassi said. “OK, OK, OK. We’re going to let him race in Knoxville.”
Ganassi is hoping Larson’s presence at Knoxville could draw more viewers to Sunday’s Cup Series race.
“We know the guy’s an amazing talent. We know he can win at Knoxville,” Ganassi said. “We’ve got to have him win here Sunday in Michigan, too, in the NASCAR race. Kyle’s an amazing talent. Let’s have him win in Knoxville. Let’s bring him back to win here in Michigan, and then I want all you fans in Knoxville to be turning your TVs on NASCAR on Sunday.”
If Larson wins a third straight Cup race at Michigan, he’ll be the first driver to do that since Bill Elliott, who won four in a row from 1985-86. Larson, who has seven runner-up finishes this year to go along with his two wins, has been in a bit of a rut lately, finishing out of the top 20 in his past three races.
With only four races left before the playoffs, this isn’t a good time for a slump.
“We have had probably more bad luck than bad runs,” Larson said. “I think Indy we were pretty good at, probably fourth- or fifth-best car, and then same at Pocono, but we broke a driveshaft at Pocono and got in a wreck at Indy. Watkins Glen we were definitely not very good, I didn’t think.”
Larson said it was his understanding that the flight to the event in Iowa is just a little over an hour, and he insisted he’ll get enough rest before Sunday, when he’ll try to cap off his weekend in the spotlight with another victory at Michigan.
“It’s hard to have a perfect season and be fast every week, but our team is excited about the race car we’ve got here this weekend,” Larson said. “Hopefully we can make a solid weekend, have no mistakes and go for a third win.”
LONDON — Rolling on the ground, still gasping for breath, Courtney Frerichs hugged Emma Coburn and shouted into her ear: “Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming?”
Nope. That really happened.
The two Americans outran two Kenyans to the finish line Friday and ended up 1-2 in the steeplechase at world championships for the latest improbable — in this case, impossible? — triumphs for a stable of U.S. long-distance runners who keep getting stronger.
Coburn finished in an American-record time of 9 minutes, 2.58 seconds, while Frerichs set a personal best at 9:03.77. These marked the first two steeplechase medals for U.S. women since the event began at the world championships in 2005. It marked the first time Americans have finished 1-2 in a women’s or men’s steeplechase at the worlds or the Olympics.
These were the fourth and fifth medals for the U.S. distance runners at the championships in London, including a bronze from Amy Cragg in the marathon, a bronze from Evan Jager in the men’s steeplechase and a silver from Jenny Simpson in the 1,500.
None were more shocking than this.
Over the decades, the U.S. has had its share of moments at the long distances that have generally been dominated by Africans: Billy Mills came out of nowhere to win gold in the 10,000 at the 1964 Olympics; Jim Ryun held world records in the 1960s and has Olympic silver from the 1,500 in 1968. Frank Shorter, Mary Decker, Joan Benoit and, more recently, Deena Kastor, Bernard Lagat and Meb Keflezighi have made headlines over the years.
One big difference: There’s evidence that this most recent triumph could be more the norm than the exception.
Vin Lananna, the president of USA Track and Field, credited a long-term commitment to distance once lacking in a country that has always been more fascinated with the sprints.
“We’ve been close a lot,” Lananna said. “Then, just like anything else, eventually you push it over the edge.”
Coburn, whose bronze last year was the first medal of any color at the Olympics for an American woman in the event, credited an increased emphasis on having support and medical staff on hand at the biggest events, along with training differences. She took the next step in her own training when she left her well-respected coaches, Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs, and started working with her fiancee, Joe Bosshard.
There’s something more basic to it, as well.
“I think we’re all motivating each other,” Coburn said. “Evan (Jager) and I have been in the mix the last couple of years. You (break down) these barriers of what you think is possible. I think Courtney feels the same way.”
In this race, the field got a break early when one of the world’s best, Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya, missed the turn for the water jump on the inside of the track and had to go back, costing her precious energy.
Coburn and Frerichs raced near the front the entire way.
“I was just waiting for the Africans to pass me and surge to overtake me,” Coburn said. Only it never happened. The final sprint came down to the two Americans and two Kenyans — Chepkoech and Hyvin Jepkemoi.
In the past, there was no doubt who would win that sort of showdown. This time, the U.S. runners came out on top, while Jepkemoi took bronze and Chepkoech finished fourth.
Coburn and Frerichs? They made history — and could barely believe it themselves.
“I was just in complete shock,” Frerichs said. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘Did this just really happen?”’