NASCAR
Kyle Larson Wins Dramatic All-Star Race to Get $1 Million Check
After relying on the Open race to transfer in, Kyle Larson won the All-Star Race and the $1 million prize. He had to hold off late charges by the 2 dominant cars, as Busch and Harvick were strong. The 19-man field was put to the test through 4 stages at Charlotte. A different driver won each Stage. After the checkers fell, tempers ran rampant as well, as a pair of veterans held fisticuffs.
Amazing Stage Finishes to Open Race
Prior to the All-Star million dollar race, the last chance race was contested-the Monster Energy Open. This 50-lap dash was divided into 3 Stages. Each Stage winner would move onto the All-Star Race. 2 of the Open’s 3 stages were decided by a last-lap pass that resulted in a photo finish, as desperation was high.
Stage 1 Decided by a Late Yellow
One driver who came into the Open with optimism was the hometown rookie, Daniel Hemric. The Kannapolis native in the RCR 8 car qualified on pole for this race, and only had to lead 20 laps to transfer into the All-Star Race. Hemric appeared to be the class of the field, as he had a 2 second lead by lap 10. However, a late caution for the 53’s engine blowing up would change everything. This yellow on lap 17 would send Stage 1 to overtime, where everyone but Hemric and Kyle Larson chose to pit for new tires.
With 2 laps left to decide Stage 1 of the Open, the 42 of Larson got a big jump on the restart. However, Bubba Wallace came from nowhere to challenge for the lead over the last 2 laps, making some slight contact with the 42. Larson’s car would get a tire rub on the last lap, forcing him to fall back a bit. Through turn 4, the 24 of William Byron came through on the inside lane as Bubba and Larson drifted wide. The 24 had a lane, and while sideways managed to edge out the 43 at the line. The 2018 Rookie of the Year and hometown driver would start 16th in his first All-Star Race.
Contenders Take Each Other Out Late in Stage 2
Although Daniel Suarez got the initial push to start off Stage 2, after 1 lap in was Alex Bowman in the lead. After finishing 2nd for 3-straight weeks, the Hendrick driver wanted to put the 88 into the All-Star Race by winning. The duo of Bowman and Suarez would race in lockstep with each other for much of Stage 2. Although the 88 held his lead, he could not pull away from the 41. With the laps winding down, another close Stage finish was brewing.
While racing for 3rd place with in the closing laps, both rookies would end up in the wall. Daniel Hemric was trying to clear Ryan Preece, but contact was made in turn 2 and again in turn 4. The second incident sent both young guns up into the wall with heavy damage, then the 8 went sliding through the grass. After having arguably the best car in the Open, Daniel Hemric’s first career attempt at making the All-Star Race ended early. This set up another caution that would also put Stage 2 in overtime.
Contact in Turn 4 Decides Stage Winner
Under the caution for the Preece-Hemric incident, leader Alex Bowman chose not to pit. Everyone else behind him did get fresh tires, and that sealed Bowman’s fate. On the restart, Bowman quickly fell behind Suarez and Wallace. These 2 would race door-to-door for much of the 2-lap dash, up until turn 4. In a desperation move, Bubba blocked hard coming to the checkers, sending Suarez spinning across the line. Richard Petty Motorsports and Bubba Wallace would start 17th in their first All-Star Race after that thriller of a Stage finish.
Larson Transfers into the All-Star Race With Stage 3 Win
After a stellar restart for the final 10-lap dash, Ty Dillon’s 13 was in command of the Open. However, the 42 of Kyle Larson was hunting him down. With just 5 laps left, the 42 passed the 13 and held on to a safe margin of victory. With the Stage 3 win, Larson would slot 18th for the start of the All-Star Race.
Bowman Makes it in via the Fan Vote
After contending throughout the Open and coming up short in 3rd, Alex Bowman won the fan vote. This put the 4th Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the All-Star Race, and gave Bowman a 1-in-19 shot at $1 million. Junior Nation would have their voices heard by voting in the Axalta 88. The 88 would start the All-Star Race in 19th.
Harvick Starts Off Strong in All-Star Race
Now in the main event, 19 drivers were racing not for points but for a cool million dollars. These drivers represented the best of the best in stock car racing, and after 85 laps 1 of them would win a big payout. Although he started 3rd behind Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick had the lead by the first lap. Harvick was trying to win his second-straight All-Star Race, but this time in the controversial Busch Millennial Car. Harvick would lead for the first 19 laps, until Kyle Busch passed him. Just a few laps later, Erik Jones’ cut tire would result in a caution. Under this yellow, everyone chose to pit except for one-Brad Keselowski. This gamble did not pay off for Keselowski, as Stage 1 would end in overtime.
With his old tires, Keselowski was quickly surpassed on the restart by Bowyer, Busch, and others. The 2 Discount Tire Mustang fell back to 16th by the end of Stage 1. Meanwhile up front, it was Kyle Busch who took the Stage 1 win over Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. Coming to the line, Martin Truex Jr. made contact with Jimmie Johnson that resulted in tire smoke from the 48.
Last 2 All-Star Winners Race it Out for Stage 2
For the restart to begin Stage 2, Kyle Busch cleared for the lead with a big push from Joey Logano. The 18 was pulling away from the 4 and the rest of the field until a lap-37 caution. Ryan Newman spun through the turf on the frontstretch after contact with Bubba Wallace. Thankfully the 6 had minimal damage and was able to continue on.
On the restart following Newman’s spin, Harvick reasserted control as Kyle Larson took the 4 and 18 3-wide for the lead. Although Logano looked to be rallying in on Harvick at one point, the 4 cruised to a Stage 2 win by more than 2 seconds.
Harvick Falls Back Due to Slow Pit Stop
On pit road following Stage 2, Harvick went from the lead back to 8th. The lead went to his teammate, the 14 of Clint Bowyer. Bowyer’s time out front would be short-lived though. Joey Logano passed him after 1 lap. Not long after, Kevin Harvick pitted with a loose wheel. The third Stage would be broken up by 1 caution just a few laps later, when Austin Dillon turned down across Kyle Busch’s nose in turn 3. This sent the 3 into a drift where Erik Jones grazed the wall trying to avoid contact. This caution prevented Harvick from losing a lap to the leaders, but he would be penalized under the yellow for pitting too soon. Kyle Busch also spent extended time on pit road here to fix damages from the contact.
Logano Holds on For Stage 3 Win
The race would restart with 11 laps remaining in Stage 3, with Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer on the front row. While the 14 did give him a run for his money, the 22 cleared for the lead. Logano’s teammate Keselowski would make it up to 2nd, but the Stage win went to the 22 Shell/Pennzoil Mustang. Behind him, Kevin Harvick was able to recover and race his way up to 7th.
Split Pit Strategy to Start Final Stage
With 15 laps separating 1 driver from $1 million, the field was torn on whether to pit or not for tires. Logano, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch did not pit, while everyone else did. The no-tires call paid off in the short term, as Chase Elliott took over the lead. However, Elliott’s lead was brief, as Kyle Larson took over the top spot on lap 76.
Larson Holds Off Late Charges From Champions
With Kyle Larson leading the way, it appeared that he would soon succumb to the faster 4 and 18. After a short yellow brought out by Erik Jones, Harvick and Busch were closing in on the 42’s rear bumper. While making this late charge, Kyle Busch pounded the wall off of turn 4. He would give up 2nd place to Harvick, but the 18 miraculously was able to continue. Harvick was running Larson down from 2nd, but he was unable to retake the lead. On a fresh set of tires, Logano also rallied late to finish in 4th. Larson’s eventual margin of victory was 3 tenths, as Harvick was just off of his tailgate.
Other Notables in the Top 10
The top 10 results from the All-Star Race were Larson, Harvick, Busch, Logano, Bubba Wallace, Aric Almirola, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr. For both Wallace and Byron, their All-Star Race debuts ended in 5th and 9th respectively. Kevin Harvick ties an all-time record for most All-Star Race 2nd place finishes with 4, matching Sterling Marlin’s achievement.
Significance of the All-Star Win for Larson
For Kyle Larson and the Chip Ganassi Racing 42 team, this is their first win since September 2017 at Richmond. With his dirt racing background, Larson is more than used to racing into ‘Feature’ events from ‘B main’ races. Larson was 1 of only 2 drivers to complete every lap of both the Open and the All-Star Race, which he saw as an advantage. “I always think if there’s one positive to being in the B Main, it’s that you get that extra track time,” Larson said.
“I feel like in the first few laps, those guys that are in the B main can be really aggressive because they know the limits of the race car and stuff, and so you can see the four of us or whatever kind of be really aggressive and get to the mid pack pretty quickly. And then everybody kind of figures it out after that. But there’s a slight advantage for the first 10, 15 laps, I think, of being in that race.”
While this win does not carry any Playoff bonuses or points advantages, a win is a win. The 42 team is looking strong as they head into the summer stretch of races. Larson would be seeded 15th in the Playoffs started today, but the Regular Season is not even at its halfway point yet.
Post Race Altercation Between Bowyer and Newman
While Kyle Larson was the winner and deserves the spotlight, one highlight reel will trump the 42’s performance in the All-Star Race. After the checkered flag, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer traded some paint on the cool down lap. Once they were on pit road, Bowyer sprinted towards Newman’s 6 car, and proceeded to land several punches to Newman’s head. Bowyer was still wearing his helmet as Newman was trying to get out of his car. The 2 drivers had a conversation after they were separated, where Bowyer thought Newman was a lap down. He in fact was not, and hard racing led to contact between the 2 of them early on in the race. NASCAR did speak with both drivers in the hauler afterwards, but did not hand out any penalties.
How to Watch the Next Race
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ next race will also be at Charlotte Motor Speedway, for the 60th running of the Coca-Cola 600. Coverage begins at 6 PM EST on Fox, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Stock car racing’s longest night is the culmination of the biggest day in Motorsports, so be sure to tune into the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and Coca-Cola 600 this Sunday.
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Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credit to NASCARMedia.
