Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet SS in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series, took first place at the 2017 season closer at Richmond Raceway after a collision took out race leader Martin Truex Jr. The Federated Auto Parts 400Â on Saturday marked Larson’s fourth win of the season, and it secured spots in the playoffs for fellow Chevrolet drivers Chase Elliot (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24) and Jamie McMurray (Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1), as well as Toyota driver Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20).
“I’ve got the greatest team out here and definitely the best pit crew,” said Larson after the win. “That showed tonight. I can’t thank those guys enough. They were money all night long to gain spots. This win is a huge congrats to them. The Target Chevy was pretty good all night. The No. 78 [Truex] was definitely the best, but I thought I was second best for most of the runs.”
Truex, with whom Larson is now tied for race wins this season, locked down the regular season championship at the previous weekend’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The Furniture Row Racing Toyota driver leads Kyle Larson by 20 points heading into the playoffs, but with ten races planned for the postseason, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver still has a fighting chance.
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Right now, the only Chevy team worth a darn. Will Jimmie Johnson return to form?