The NASCAR XFINITY Series kicked off the 2016 season on Saturday afternoon at the newly remodeled Daytona International Speedway (DIS). Kyle Larson wheeled the No. 42 ENEOS Chevy Camaro for the 120-ap race. This marked the first time since 2008 that Chip Ganassi Racing fielded entries in the XFINITY Series. Larson started 17th after single-car qualifying on Saturday morning. After being pleased with the handling of the car in practice hopes were high for a strong run.
Following an early caution period, Larson began working his way towards the front. On lap 13, he was caught in a seven-car incident heading into turn 3. The ENEOS Chevy sustained left front fender damage and made several pit stops to make repairs to stay on the lead lap.
After going back to green, the fender continued to rub on the tire causing the team to make additional pit stops under green flag conditions to make repairs, losing multiple laps in the process. Once making final repairs, Larson brought the car home in 34th position.
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Results (with starting position) from the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS)
P1 – (19) Chase Elliott, No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro
P2 – (8) Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
P3 – (15) Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro
P34 – (17) Kyle Larson, No. 42 ENEOS Chevrolet Camaro
NOTES OF INTEREST:
- Today was Larson’s six career start in the XFINITY Series at DIS
- The race was slowed by four cautions for 17 laps
CGR QUOTEBOARD
Kyle Larson – No. 42 ENEOS Chevrolet Camaro – “This was not the way we wanted our first race to go. We had a really good ENEOS Camaro for the race and I expected we would compete up front all day. Unfortunately, though, I got caught up in the second caution early in the race, which messed up the front fender. We had to come in and pit a few times to fix the damage, and that got us a few laps down on the leader. We still had some speed, but couldn’t get in the lead draft. We’ll put this behind us and move on to next week.”
2016 Schedule
Kyle Larson next races in the ENEOS No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro on February 27th at the Heads Up Georgia 250, Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia.
| Feb 20 | Powershares 300 | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona Beach, FL |
| Feb 27 | Heads Up Georgia 250 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, GA |
| Mar 19 | NASCAR XFINITY Series 300 | Auto Club Speedway | Fontana, CA |
| Apr 8 | O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 | Texas Motor Speedway | Ft Worth, TX |
| May 28 | Hisense 300 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Charlotte, NC |
| Aug 20 | Food City 300 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Bristol, TN |
| Sep 3 | Help a Hero 200 | Darlington Raceway | Darlington, SC |
| Sep 17 | NASCAR XFINITY Series Chicagoland Race | Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, IL |
| Nov 19 | Ford Ecoboost 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, FL |
About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, two factory Ford GT’s in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, two factory Ford GT’s in the FIA World Endurance Championship and two Supercars in Red Bull Global Rallycross. Overall his teams have 18 championships and 170 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and six Rolex 24 At Daytonas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.