
Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey
Kyle Larson celebrated Father’s Day in the best way any driver could, in Victory Lane.
Larson out ran his opponents through a series of cautions at Michigan and received a push from last week’s winner Ryan Blaney that put him ahead for his second win this season.
Larson did the complete opposite from two weeks ago, where Jimmie Johnson beat Larson on a restart that ultimately led him to another Dover victory despite the Chip Ganassi Racing driver having the dominate car.
“Yeah, Ryan Blaney gave me a heck of a push,” Larson said “So I’ve really got to thank him a ton. I knew the Penske cars took off good, so I was happy to see him behind me. For us to withstand a few restarts there with some tough competitors there was pretty important. I can’t thank these guys enough.”
Through the series of restarts Larson held off 2015 Champion Kyle Busch and finished .993 seconds ahead of Chase Elliott, who scored his third consecutive second place finish.
“From where we started the day to where we ended up, I was really proud of our effort,” Elliott said. “I really think we overachieved today from what we had on Friday and Saturday, and even last night, I was getting a little nervous about how the day was going to go.”
Kyle Busch came home in seventh after a late caution for debris on Lap 180 demolished his 1.4-second lead. Larson passed him shortly after the restart for his second win this season. The driver of the No. 18 Toyota is still searching for his first.
The win also landed Larson atop the point standings, five points ahead of Martin Truex Jr., who secured both Stage 1 and Stage 2 wins during the Firekeepers Casino 400.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series head to Sonoma, California next weekend, where Tony Stewart battled it out with Denny Hamlin for the last win of his NASCAR career.
Who will take home the win? Find out Sunday, June 25th at 3 p.m ET on Fox Sports 1.