Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle and Kyle Larson won their respective segments in the Sprint Showdown Saturday afternoon to transfer into the evening’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Kyle Larson win Sprint Showdown segments
Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick transferred to the All-Star Race via a fan vote.
Robert Laberge/Getty Images
Bookending Biffle’s Segment 2 triumph that saw him lead the final 14 laps and win going away by a two-second margin were a pair of dramatic finishes in the first and third segments.
Bayne used a bold three-wide pass that saw him drive through the middle of Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney off Turn 2 to take the lead on the final lap. Bayne, who had been fourth on a restart with one lap remaining in the 20-lap segment, then fended off Elliott to secure his advancement.
“I got a good restart and off (Turn) 2 there was a tiny hole and somehow our car got through it without getting beat up,” Bayne said. “We’ll take it.”
The third segment culminated with a fender-banging finish between Larson and Elliott with Larson just nipping Elliott as they raced side-by-side underneath the checkered flag. Elliott was on fresher tires than Larson and had been trying for several laps to complete a pass, but Larson stymied every attempt.
“He had the run, I just had to squeeze him,” Larson said. “So, I’m sure he’s upset with me. But, it’s a non-points race and we’re going for a $1 million bucks (to win the All-Star Race).”
Said Elliott: “He did what he thought he had to do to beat us back the line.”
Because both drivers sustained damage, their respective teams will have to make repairs before the All-Star Race begins at 9 p.m. ET.
Elliott will still transfer to the All-Star Race because he and Danica Patrick were selected via a fan vote. It marks the third time Patrick has been voted into the main event since 2013.
“It’s that much better to know that I have incredible fans that always come through,” Patrick said. “Don’t think that I don’t see social media and see all the times that people said they voted for me. Thank you so much and I hope I give you something fun to watch tonight.”
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