On Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson raced to his first NASCAR victory since he was reinstated from a nearly yearlong suspension . He ran just the first four races last season and was hired by Hendrick Motorsports when NASCAR said the suspension would lift at the start of this year.
"Thanks Mr. H. for believing in me," Larson radioed to boss Rick Hendrick after crossing the finish line.
He then celebrated his first career win on an intermediate track with smoke-filled burnouts, including one on the backstretch for friends watching from a motorhome on the hillside above the track.
Larson said he became emotional as he took the white flag but had composed himself by the time he finished his burnouts.
"I didn't know if I'd ever have an opportunity to win a NASCAR race again," said Larson, who again thanked Hendrick for taking "a massive chance on me."
Hendrick was both thrilled and surprised by the victory in Larson's fourth race with his new team. He figured it would take time for Larson to build a relationship with his new crew chief and find a rhythm in the No. 5 Chevrolet. There is no practice because of pandemic protocols so Larson is learning in real time.
"I didn't really expect it to come this quick because I really thought it would take time to gel," Hendrick said by phone after the race. "He's a champion, really, and I am so lucky to have him."
Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's only Black fulltime driver , was one of the first competitors to congratulate Larson.
Bubba Wallace, left, congratulates Kyle Larson after Larson won the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube NASCAR Cup Series race on March 7, 2021 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. JEFF SPEER / LVMS VIA ICON SPORTSWIRE / GETTY "It meant a lot for Bubba to come to victory lane," Larson said. "He's always believed in me. That was special."
Larson's move to Hendrick was expected to be electric.
Larson is considered one of the top talents in NASCAR but won just six times in six seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing. Paired with the mighty Hendrick, everyone suspected Larson would at last reach his full potential.
"He got in a great car, he's a great driver and he's going to make things happen," runner-up Brad Keselowski said. "That's what he does. He's a wheelman."
Mario Andretti on Twitter called Larson's victory the most entertaining NASCAR race he'd ever watched and praised Larson for driving "the race of his life" and Hendrick: "Ol' Rick knew what he was doing when he hired him."
Larson's last victory was Oct. 6, 2019, at Dover.
(3 Pack) Supershieldz for All New Fire 7 Tablet 7 inch Screen Protector, (9th and 7th Generation, 2019 and 2017 Release), High Definition Clear Shield (PET) Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard Book 8) Winston Marshall, the banjo player and lead guitarist of the Grammy-winning British band Mumford & Sons Fruit of the Loom Women’s Tag Free Cotton Brief Panties (Regular & Plus Size) Without a doubt, NBA on TNT is one of the greatest and most hilarious shows March 7 marks the 56th anniversary of the Selma march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge Kurt Browning becomes first Canadian to defend title in World Figure Fulham’s Mario Lemina compounded the misery being felt at Anfield Manchester United have ended Manchester City’s winning run at 21 consecutive games Knight joined Patti LaBelle for a VERZUZ battle that saw the two legendary Karim Benzema grabbed a late equaliser as Real Madrid drew 1-1 with league leaders Atletico AEW returned to pay-per-view Sunday night with its Revolution event Portland’s Anfernee Simons was all smiles as he became the first Trail Blazers player to win the NBA dunk 25 years of marriage later, Bezos and Scott announced they were splitting up in January of 2019 Adrian Wojnarowski Took It One Step Further With A Confirmation From Griffin’s Agent World Celebrates International Women’s Day Annually On March 8 Meghan Markle said her views of royalty were shaped by fairy tales GE 6 Outlet Surge Protector, 10 Ft Extension Cord, Power Strip, 800 Joules, Flat Plug, Twist-to-Close Safety Covers, White, 14092 CelerSport 6 Pack Men’s Ankle Socks with Cushion, Sport Athletic Running Socks OHM Omeprazole Tablets, Delayed-Release Tablets, 20mg Acid Reducer, 42 Tablets Nintendo Switch™ Fortnite Wildcat Bundle New HP 15.6″ HD Touchscreen Laptop Intel Core i3-1005G1 8GB DDR4 RAM 128GB SSD HDMI Bluetooth 802.11/b/g/n/ac Windows 10 15-dy1731ms Silver Bluetooth Wireless in-Ear Earbuds with Built-in Mic Automatic Pairing Smart Touch Control Earphones with Noise Cancelling and Sweatproof Fit Work/Gym/Sports for iPhone/Samsung/Android/Airpods Black Plantronics BackBeat GO 810 Wireless Headphones, Active Noise Canceling Over Ear Headphones, Navy Blue Lasuney IPX7 Waterproof Bluetooth Earbuds, True Wireless Earbuds, 35H Cyclic Playtime Headphones with Charging Case and mic for iPhone Android, in-Ear Stereo Earphones Headset for Sport – Black Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch, Wi-Fi, 3rd Generation 64GB – Space Gray(Renewed) Crucial MX500 500GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, up to 560MB/s – CT500MX500SSD1 Facebook Portal TV – Smart Video Calling on Your TV with Alexa – Black Quilted Northern Ultra PlushToilet Paper, 24 Mega Rolls, 24 = 96 Regular Rolls, 3 Ply Bath Tissue External Hard Drive, Portable Hard Drive USB3.1 Hard Drive Compatible Mac, PC, Desktop, Laptop, MacBook, Chromebook (1TB,Silver) Android 10.0 Tablet 10.1 Inch, Octa-Core 5G WiFi 1920×1200 HD ThouchScreen Large Tablets with 13MP Rear Camera, 6000mAh Battery, 32GB ROM 128GB Expand Storage, Bluetooth/GPS/FM/OTG Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Saute, Yogurt Maker, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs & Air Fryer Lid 6 in 1, Turn your Instant Pot into an Air Fryer, 6 Qt, 1500W SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter – C10, U3, V30, 4K, A2, Micro SD – SDSQXA1-128G-GN6MA 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.