Larson’s larceny on Elliott
NASCAR CUP FONTANA (USA) 27 FEBRUARY ROUND 2/36
Kyle Larson returned to Victory Lane the hard way on Sunday by starting from the rear of the field and navigating a late-race run-in with a team-mate. The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion held off a wild, last-lap charge from Austin Dillon to win a wreck-marred race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Larson had to start from the back because his Hendrick Motorsports crew had to fix an electrical issue in his Chevrolet’s dash panel prior to the race. He led for the first time on lap 74. Going into the final 20 laps, Larson made a three-wide move after a caution to get to the front, but on the next lap he made contact with team-mate Chase Elliott as the two battled for the lead. Elliott hit the wall and he eventually spun out on lap 192. By this point Larson had a 2.2-second lead, but the caution for this eradicated it.
The race went green with four laps remaining, and Daniel Suarez soon moved his Trackhouse Chevy to the front, only for Larson to reclaim the top spot with two to go and fend off Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing Chevy to the line. “There were definitely some guys that were quicker than us but they had their misfortune,” Larson said.
Erik Jones (Petty GMS Chevy) finished third, ahead of Suarez and the Penske Ford of Joey Logano.