Kyle Larson won his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race yesterday in Fontana, California. Famous for running right next to the wall, Larson showed his dirt racing skills yesterday by running the top groove of the track and making that work very well.
Michigan of 2016 was Larson’s first win in Nascar’s top series so Larson was able to take what he learned from Michigan and transfer that to Sunday’s Auto Club 400. Winning both the XFINITY Series race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway, Larson is beginning to showcase his talent each week.
After his win Sunday, Larson says he’s surprised that he pulled off the weekend sweep.
”I’m more surprised that I won the race yesterday than I am I won the race today. I was very confident going into today’s race. I knew our race-car was extremely good throughout the practices yesterday. In the Xfinity race, I struggled in practice, then struggled in the first half of the race. Didn’t really expect to win that one. We were able to find the speed at the end to do it. But, yeah, it was a solid, solid weekend. Definitely the best of my NASCAR career,” he said.
Brad Keselowski had another strong showing in Sunday’s Auto Club 400, however, it wasn’t any easy task. Contact with Denny Hamlin caused Keselowski to have a tire rub and shortly after that he lost control of his car. This season to date he has four top 10 finishes and one win at Atlanta.
Keselowski spoke to members of the media after Sunday’s run.
“We really turned a corner here,” he said. “The first few races I ran here, we were awful. I think I learned a lot, the team learned a lot, have put together just a much more robust effort for this type of track. I like coming to places we run well. But beyond that, I think this track is known for having great races and great racing. I thought we saw that here at the end today. It’s fun to be a part of those races.”
Clint Bowyer, after nearly two years, ended his long drought of a top-five finish with a third place run. Bowyer, who was with HScott Motorsports last year didn’t have the season he would have hoped for with no top five finishes and missing the Chase. Bower, who took over for retired three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, is now beginning to turn heads as he performs better and better each week.
Bowyer had this to say about his new team and his performance Sunday.
”It’s just a lot of fun to be out there,” he said after the race. “Very challenging track. Trying to balance those front tires, the rear tires, not push ’em off. You can overdrive your car. I did one run, thing fell away. You know, you learn from your mistakes and go on.
”But just to have the organization behind me, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. My teammates, to have these teammates like this, at this point in your career and everything that I’ve been through, you know how fortunate you are when you get this opportunity. You know, Gene Haas, and Tony Stewart getting out of the car, giving me this opportunity, appreciative of everything.”
Next Sunday the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will go from one of its largest tracks to its shortest, Martinsville Speedway. Coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. E.T. on your local FOX channel.
