Larson holds off Elliott for Michigan Cup win

Kyle Larson is still the man to beat at Michigan International Speedway.

After earning his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at the two-mile track last August, Larson returned this weekend to win the pole and lead the most laps (96) on his way to victory in the FireKeepers Casino 400. Larson took the lead from Kyle Busch for the final time off a restart with 15 laps to go and then hung on through two more restarts.

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The victory is Larson's second of the season and third of his career.

"Ryan Blaney gave me a heck of a push, I really got to thank him a ton," Larson said of the late-race restarts. "I knew the Penske cars took off good, so I was happy to see him behind me. For us to withstand a few restarts there with some tough competitors was pretty important.

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"Can't thank these guys enough, the 'Cars 3' Chevy was really fast. Great Father's Day present for myself and all the other dads out there. My dad's here today, too, so looking forward to celebrating with them."

Chase Elliott, who was also the runner-up to Larson's victory at Michigan in August, again finished second. Joey Logano finished third, scoring his first top-10 finish since his win at Richmond in late April.

Denny Hamlin, who lined up second on the final restart with five laps to go, finished fourth. Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five. Martin Truex Jr. led 62 laps and won the first two stages but finished sixth. Kyle Busch faded to a seventh-place finish.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson completed the top 10.

For Larson, who was also fastest in Friday's practice session, the victory vaults him back into the point lead. His margin is five points over Truex with 11 races left in the regular season.

"We've been so close to so many other wins," Larson said of the team's momentum. "This is our second Cup win of the year, but we've had six second-place finishes, so could have 30 more bonus points. But all in all, a good season so far and we'll continue to keep building on what we've got."

Sunday's race featured 10 lead changes among four drivers and eight cautions.