By Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
In this week’s edition of Throwback Thursday, Kickin’ The Tires relives when NASCAR driver Kyle Larson and his Chip Ganassi Racing team won three Cup Series races in a row at Brooklyn, Michigan’s Michigan International Speedway.
(MIS Photo Courtesy: Pure Michigan)
There was a time when Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson was sure to be anyone’s top pick to win at Brooklyn, Michigan’s Michigan International Speedway.
From August of 2016 through August of 2017, Larson schooled the field at the two-mile oval.
Larson went on to score his first win in NASCAR’s premiere series in the Pure Michigan 400 in August of 2016 in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing.
When the series returned to MIS the following season, Larson’s dominance continued at the track.
He would go on to win June’s FireKeeper’s Casino 400 event from the pole and lead for an impressive 96 laps.
Carrying momentum over from his last two wins there, Larson picked right up where he left off in August’s Pure Michigan 400.
Starting the event in ninth, Larson would move from fourth to first in overtime.
Larson passed fellow competitor Martin Truex Jr., on the first of the final two laps remaining to win his third consecutive race in the Irish Hills.
Larson became the first driver to win three cup races in a row at the track since Bill Elliott who won four in a row from 1985-1986.
The victory ended a slump at the time for Larson and his Chip Ganassi Racing team who had finished out of the top-20 in three straight races.
“I was running a few options through my head if I got a good jump, that was one of them, and it worked out”, said Larson.
“We weren’t as good the last two times we won (at Michigan), but we got some good restarts, persevered and got it done. It’s a week I’ll never forget.”
Career Update:
In 2017, Larson won prior to MIS at Fontana and following his two wins at the two-mile oval he would find victory lane at Richmond Raceway a few weeks later.
Since his four victories during the 2017 season, the 27-year old has yet to find victory lane again. He’s also seen mediocre success at Michigan, a track he once dominated.
The two races at the track in 2018 saw Larson earn finishes of 28th and 17th, while the June race in 2019 he finished 14th.
Heading into this weekend’s Consumer’s Energy 400, Larson has had a so-so season, with no wins, one pole award, four Top-5s, eight Top-10s, 185 laps led and a disappointing 5 DNFs.
Read More: Kyle Larson Looks to Turn Luck Around at Michigan