CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson believes he’s on the verge of kicking in the door and getting his first Sprint Cup win.
The 23-year-old seems to be getting close.
Larson finished second two weeks ago at Dover, then had a chance to win the All-Star exhibition race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend before losing control of his car and hitting the wall following a challenge from Joey Logano.
He wound up finishing 16th, missing out on a chance for a breakthrough win and the $1 million first-place prize.
“It would mean a lot to get it anywhere, but especially here at Charlotte, close to home,” Larson said of his first Sprint Cup win. ” … We have been rolling good the last few weeks. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going. Our car has been getting a lot faster.”
Whether it will be fast enough Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600 – NASCAR’s longest race of the year – remains to be seen.
INDY 500: Tony Kanaan was so frustrated during qualifying that he was simply relieved once it was over.
Now, his attitude has turned to full-blown optimism.
Kanaan was the fastest in the final round of practice for the 100th Indianapolis 500, posting a lap of 226.280 mph to highlight a frantic Carb Day that saw Pippa Mann slam the wall midway through the session.
Carlos Munoz spent most of the hour-long practice atop the speed charts.
But the popular Kanaan bumped Munoz, a Honda driver, late in practice to give Chevrolet the top spot in what is shaping up to be an intriguing battle between the two engine manufacturers.
Munoz had a lap of 224.772, followed by Scott Dixon, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
“I’m happy with my car. Obviously I have to pass 17 people before I get really happy with my car,” said Kanaan, who will start 18th for Chip Ganassi Racing on Sunday.
Kanaan started 12th when he won the Indy 500 in 2013.
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