Larson wins; Kenseth hangs on
RICHMOND, Va. Kyle Larson and his Chip Ganassi Racing team snatched NASCAR’s last victory before the start of the playoffs Saturday night at Richmond.
Martin Truex Jr. had the Federated Auto Parts 400 easily in hand until Derrike Cope slowed with less four laps remaining. Larson was second at the time, itching for fresh tires and a shot at the win in overtime.
He took his Chevrolet to pit road, his Ganassi team got him out as the leader, and he held for his fourth victory of the season. That ties Truex for most in the Cup series this season.
Truex, the regular-season champion, wrecked in overtime while racing for position. The entire sequence cost him what seemed to easily be his fifth win of the season.
Coming into the night, 13 drivers had secured playoff spots via wins: Truex, Kyle Busch, Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne and Austin Dillon.
Winless drivers Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray occupied the final spots based on points.
Kenseth, the 2003 champion from Cambridge, Wis., was nearly knocked out in one of the stranger incidents of the season, damaging his Toyota when an ambulance stopped at the entrance to pit road.
Danica Patrick brought out the fifth caution on Lap 255 when she spun out after Austin Dillon made contact with her rear tire. When the ambulance stopped on the apron near the entrance to pit road, some cars went go outside the commitment line to avoid it.
Others were not so fortunate, including Kenseth, who slammed into the rear of Clint Bowyer coming down pit road.
Kenseth suffered radiator damage, was forced to bring his car behind the wall and dropped out with 132 laps remaining. Then Kenseth had to wait out the race to see he hung on to the final playoff position.
“Well, I mean I don’t think they should open pit road if there’s an ambulance parked there,” Kenseth said. “It’s a very narrow entry.
“Pit road speed is pretty fast — 45 miles an hour or something — and, you know, still I shouldn’t have hit the car in front of me, but I can’t say I was expecting to see an ambulance blocking me.
“So by the time I looked up and saw him parked there and they were stopping in front of me, I tried the best I could to stop and couldn’t.”
Kenseth, who is being replaced at Joe Gibbs Racing after the season, could have missed playoffs if a driver who had not won previously in 2017 — such as his replacement, rookie Erik Jones — had prevailed at Richmond.
When the playoffs begin next Sunday in Joliet, Ill., Truex will hold a 20point advantage over Larson, based on victories in the in-race “stages” NASCAR introduced this season.
“Tonight is a little tough, it’s a little hard to be excited,” Truex said.