Kyle Larson has won for a second year in a row around Watkins Glen Raceway in a weather-delayed NASCAR race on Sunday.
Hendrick Motorsports team-mate Chase Elliott took pole on the Saturday, also clinching the Regular Season championship with an 120-points lead that provides him with 15 playoff points.
Elliott ended up finishing fourth in the Glen due to contact with Larson in the final restart.
The 90-lap race was delayed by NASCAR’s order of rain and lightning hold, the green flag only descending over the track two hours after the set start time.
Inclement weather continued into the race start and most drivers lining up had never driven in the rain with the Next Gen cars which caused multiple issues in the early stages of the encounter.
As a result of the weather, single file restarts and tyre strategy dominated proceedings; those who gambled with slick tyres early in Stage 1 ended up well clear of those on wets.
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This included Chase Briscoe for Stewart-Haas Racing who won Stage 1, whilst many who stayed on wet tyres ended up a lap down on the leaders.
Larson struggled in the first section, dropping from second to fourth and having to take a penalty after locking up into the bus chicane and missing it completely.
He then made this up in Stage 3 and found himself in a tight battle with his team-mate for the top spot in the closing stages of the race.
The two came together in the last restart, Larson locking up into Turn 1 and pushing Elliot off the track to take the lead.
When asked about the move on his team-mate post-race, Larson said, “I knew it was my only opportunity, I’m not proud of it…but when it gets late in the race, it gets risky.”
“I knew that was my only opportunity to get by him, the restarts kept me in it and my team in it.
“I’m proud of our guys, proud to win here again, at Watkins Glen.”
Completing the top three was Joey Logano, who inherited the Stage 2 win after rookie Todd Gilliland suffered a broken axel while leading.
Logano found himself running in the top five at the last restart with AJ Allmendinger in front of him, the latter having had a spin in Stage 1 but made up through the field to take home second.
Formula 1 world championship winner Kimi Raikkonen had a positive start at the Glen, fighting with NASCAR championship winner Elliot whilst moving up in the top 10 throughout the Stage 2.
This all came undone for the Project 91 car as Raikkonen made contact the wall on Lap 45 after being hit indirectly by his Trackhouse Racing team-mate, Ross Chastain, bringing the caution flag out.
“I wasn’t very involved with it until I had a good line, but everybody seemed to come on the left,’ Raikkonen said after being released from infield care centre.
“Unfortunately, I had no time to react and…the first impact somebody hit the tyre or the wheels directly and the wheel spun. And that was it.”
With 15 drivers now already clinching their playoff spots, including Kurt Busch who hasn’t competed in the last four races due to NASCAR’s concussion protocol, Daytona will be the last chance to take the last playoff spot for the 2022 season.
The NASCAR regular season will conclude next week at the Daytona International Speedway, then the playoffs begin on September 4 with the Round of 16 in Darlington Raceway.
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