Homestead, Florida (AP) – It was a quick start for the Nascar season for the Hendrick Motorsports power.
The racing team won two victories in the first six races of the series season, including Kyle Larson Victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday. And his pilots hold the first three positions in points and four of the first six.
However, the vice-president of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, thinks that his team is just in the pursuit.
“What is good is that when you start like that and you are up there, it is the fine setting (which comes after),” said Gordon. “What you continue are the victories. Perfection is what you really look at.”
William Byron – who won his second consecutive 500 day last month – Larson and Alex Bowman sit at the top of the ranking. And the last two drivers of Hendrick Motorsports were in a battle for the victory in Homestead.
Bowman, who started first in the field of 37 cars on Sunday, had passed Bubba Wallace for the head with about 30 laps to do while Larson had jumped from behind. In turn 261, the Chevrolet n ° 48 of Bowman scratched the exterior wall, allowing the Chevrolet n ° 5 of Larson to get started by him and to rush towards a victory of 1.205 seconds which gave him his first trophy of the series of cups of the year.
Larson later said that he could feel both Bowman and Wallace, who finished third for 23Xi, could start making mistakes by winning them. He added that he had bypassed Bowman easier than expected on the wandering movement of his teammate.
“I guess I smothered this one, that’s for sure,” said Bowman. “I got burned in a way. I saw the 5 (Larson) coming and moving a little. … Just a few mistakes there. I felt like we were going all day.”
He crowned a busy weekend for Larson, who fell into himself sweep the weekend in triple head. He won the Craftsman truck race on Friday and finished fourth in the Xfinity series on Saturday despite the start of 132 of 201 Tours. He returned motivated on Sunday, winning his second race in the Cup Cup series on one of his best tracks despite leading only 19 of the 267 laps.
“I didn’t think someone was going to catch (Bowman).” Said Gordon. “You can never count Kyle Larson, especially in this place.”
Byron and Larson each have a serial victory of the cup, three first top-five each and four TOP-10s each ended this year. They led a combined 203 laps. Bowman has a finish among the first five, five finishes among the first 10 and led 62 laps.
Chase Elliott, driving the Chevrolet n ° 6 for Hendrick Motorsports, is sixth in the ranking with three TOP-10. These four Hendrick cars are the only herd in the top 10 in points.
“We had a few races where the four cars are in the first eight or 10,” said Gordon, “and, you know, it’s a capricious sport because you want to take a good start, make a good position so that you are not on your heels and you play catching up. This part is really nice, but we fought.”
Addition of Larson: “Although we are four of the first six, I don’t think one of us is like the best car today.”
On Sunday, this car, with Gordon’s eye, was Ryan Blaney’s N ° 12 team, Penske Ford.
Blaney dominated – he led 124 rpm and won step 1 after starting sixth. He was running third when his engine exploded in Tour 207, which caused a thick cloud of smoke to cover the track and finish its afternoon.
“Honestly, I think it was the car,” said Gordon. “It’s ridiculous how fast they were. So I still think we are chasing right now.”
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