Larson: ‘I had to do what I had to do’ in Showdown – Nascar

RELATED: Results from Segment 3

CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson shoehorned his way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race by whatever means necessary, making a full-contact lean on Chase Elliott‘s fenders on the last lap of Saturday’s Sprint Showdown preliminary.

Did the contact cross the line of sportsmanship? Maybe not, with both drivers deeming it a compulsory evil with the checkered flag in sight and a chance at a $1 million payday in the Sprint All-Star Race up for grabs.

In the end, both drivers won out by transferring into Saturday night’s main event, but through different methods. Larson snatched one of three transfer spots available to segment winners, joining Roush Fenway Racing‘s Trevor Bayne (first segment) and Greg Biffle (second segment) in the non-points invitational. Elliott claimed his berth by winning the Sprint Fan Vote. Danica Patrick finished runner-up in the fan vote to fill the 20-car field.

Larson’s method of securing his eligibility ranked as the most dramatic of the five. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver recovered from an opening-segment wall scrape to work his way back to first place by the start of the final 10-lap dash to the finish. He led all the way, but Elliott gained tremendous ground on fresher tires, pulling alongside Larson through Turns 3 and 4 for the final time.

Larson’s No. 42 and Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolets locked fenders and scraped side-by-side all the way to the checkers, with Larson prevailing by just .015 seconds to qualify for his first All-Star Race.

“I would hate to be raced like that, like I raced him,” Larson said. “But I knew he was going to win the fan vote, so I knew he was going to be in the All-Star Race either way and I wasn’t if I didn’t win. I had to do what I had to do to get the win. Hate racing like that, obviously, but I felt that’s what I had to do to make it in.”

Larson was on the receiving end of a similar shove in 2014, when Ryan Newman slammed him aside on the final corner of the final lap at Phoenix to land the final spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship race. Back then, Larson said he understood the circumstances.

Saturday, Larson indicated that he knew Elliott was justifiably upset with him. Based on his sometimes choppy responses in post-race interviews, Elliott was, but he also said he understood Larson’s aggressive move considering the stakes.

“He did what he had to do to beat us back to the line, that’s all there is to it,” Elliott said. “Part of it.”

Elliott found himself on the short end of an even closer finish in the first 20-lap leg, edged by .005 seconds by Bayne, who split the middle on a bold, three-wide move shortly after the segment’s final restart. That restart also proved to be the undoing of rookie Ryan Blaney, who was black-flagged for jumping the green flag and could only recover for a third-place finish overall.

RELATED: Watch the Segment 1 finish unfold

The nifty maneuver, though, launched Bayne into his first All-Star Race since 2012.

“You don’t hesitate when you can see the front any time, and especially when it’s like this — not a points race,” said Bayne, who scored his only Sprint Cup win in the 2011 Daytona 500. “If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. You’ve got to win. It was pretty cool. Maybe if you’re battling to get in the Chase on points, you don’t make that move for third or fourth, but when it’s for a win even in a points race, you’ve got to do it every time.”

Biffle, his Roush Fenway teammate, had a slightly easier time of it, slipping past Austin Dillon six laps into the second 20-lap segment to clinch his 13th consecutive All-Star start. Biffle advanced into the main event as a Showdown segment winner last year as well. His transfer inspired some lively banter with crew chief Brian Pattie.

“Hope no one had dinner reservations,” Pattie said over the team radio on the segment’s cool-down lap. “Nope, I was planning on being here all night,” Biffle replied, later noting the seven-figure incentive for the All-Star Race winner.

RELATED: Biffle ecstatic after finish

Patrick advanced through fan balloting for the third time in four years.

“I definitely thought if there were two spots, I had a lot better shot,” Patrick said. “My fans voted well.”