The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Larson still awaiting first Cup Series victory
Kyle Larson will have to wait another day to try to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.
The race at Bristol Motor Speedway was postponed until today at 1 p.m. because of heavy rain with Larson out in front. Racing was halted three times Sunday due to wet weather.
Larson led 74 laps when the race was halted on lap 204, just 46 laps from becoming official. NASCAR hopes to complete all remaining 296 laps, although the forecast calls for more rain and possibly snow.
Larson seemed to have found his groove on the track before the third and final red flag came out. NASCAR waited about an hour before officially postponing the race with a forecast of steady rain for the remainder of Sunday night. “It’s hard to get a rhythm with all the rain and stuff and then getting out of your car and getting back in,” Larson said.
Larson liked the speed of his car, but said the track was slick. “There is only a little line there on the bottom that has got some grip,” said Larson, who normally likes to run on the high side of the Bristol track. “If you get out of it, it’s slick. If you get below it, it’s slick.”
Some drivers won’t have to worry about coming back today. Ryan Blaney was dominant early in the No. 12 Ford, leading 99 laps of the first 119 laps before getting caught up in wreck that left his car in shambles. It happened on turn three when Chris Buescher and Trevor Bayne, who were fighting to stay on the lead lap, got tangled up in front of Blaney, leaving him nowhere to maneuver. His car was taken behind the wall, ending his day.
Michael McDowell, Chris Buescher, Harrison Rhodes and Ross Chastain also are out of the race.
Formula One: Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo yanked off his right shoe, poured champagne into it as he stood on the podium, and then drank up to his unlikely victory in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai. The Australian started from the third row, but took advantage when the safety car came out on the 31st lap to allow him to get fresh, soft tires when the other leaders were running on worn rubber and couldn’t get in quickly to change.
Ricciardo got quicker and quicker and took the lead on the 45th lap of the 56-lap race, overtaking Valtteri Bottas with a dive on the inside past the Mercedes driver. Bottas called it a “fair” pass and finished second with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in third.
Ricciardo said he knew he had a great chance with the fresh rubber. And he knew he got a bit lucky. “That was obviously giving us a good little bit of grip on the restart,” Ricciardo said.
Red Bull’s victory leaves the F1 season in a scramble. There’s no clear favorite. Mercedes has not won any of the first three races with defending champion Lewis Hamilton and Bottas at the wheel. Hamilton finished fourth Sunday.
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished eighth Sunday and leads the season standings with 54 points after three races.