Diversity Graduate Kyle Larson Scores First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory
Californian Becomes First D4D, NASCAR Next Grad To Win In Sport’s Premier Series
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2016)
– Kyle Larson won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway to become the first
graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and the NASCAR Next programs
to win at the sanctioning body’s top level.
Larson,
the 24-year-old Elk Grove, California, native of Japanese-American
heritage, has already won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR
Camping
World Truck Series. His first win came in 2013 at Rockingham Speedway
in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has since won another
NASCAR Camping World Truck race, as well as four NASCAR XFINITY Series
races.
The win at Michigan was the latest in a long line of ‘firsts’ accomplished by Larson in his young career. Among the highlights:
-
In
2014, Larson became the first NASCAR D4D and NASCAR Next product to win
a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole (Pocono Raceway), as well
as
the first to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
-
In 2013, he became the first NASCAR D4D graduate to win the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
-
Larson
previously became the first NASCAR D4D competitor to win a NASCAR
Touring Series championship. Driving for Rev Racing, Larson won the 2012
NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East title and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
On
Sunday, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver won the Pure Michigan 400,
driving the No. 42 Chevrolet, leading a race-high 41 laps in his 99th
career start.
With the win, Larson clinches a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
NASCAR
Next is an industry-wide initiative designed to spotlight to best and
brightest rising young stars in racing. NASCAR Drive for Diversity,
operated
by Rev Racing, is an academy-style development program for female and
multicultural drivers and crew members who have the potential and
determination to succeed at the highest levels of NASCAR. Larson raced
under both banners in 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment