How Sprint Cup stars fared in their first 100 starts

Probably the only person more relieved than Kyle Larson after his win Sunday at Michigan was team owner Chip Ganassi.

“I remember when I got into this business, James Finch told me it took a hundred races before these guys could figure it out,” Ganassi said. “Thank God we beat the triple digit by one.”

Larson, who earned his first Sprint Cup win, was seven days away from making his 100th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.

The 24-year-old driver made his first foray into the series on Oct. 12, 2013 in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 51 for HScott Motorsports, Larson finished 37th after engine failure on Lap 247.

Larson has 15 top fives, 35 tops 10s, 350 laps led and one pole (Pocono, Aug. 2014). He also has 13 DNFs. Larson’s win gives him an average finish of 16.5 heading into his 100th start, Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

“We’ve been close a few times throughout my Sprint Cup career,” said Larson, who finished second four times before his triumph. “To finally put it all together and get a win, it’s awesome. Glad to get it before my hundredth start next week.”

Here’s a look at how some of Larson’s young peers and a few NASCAR legends fared in their first 100 starts.

Austin Dillon

Career starts: 109

First start: 2011 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (Finished 26th, two laps down)

100th start: 2016 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Started and finished eighth)

Stats in first 100 starts: two poles, five top fives, 16 tops 10s, 52 laps led and five DNFs

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Career starts: 136

First start: 2011 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Finished 11th)

100th start: 2015 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (Finished 21st, four laps down)

Stats in first 100 starts: one pole, three top fives, nine top 10s, 36 laps led and six DNFs

Kyle Busch made his 100th Sprint Cup start in 2007 at Watkins Glen International. Busch still drove for Hendrick Motorsports. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kyle Busch

Career starts: 414

First start: 2004 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Finished 40th, crash)

100th start: 2007 Centurion Boats at Watkins Glen International (Finished seventh)

Stats in first 100 starts: Four wins, two poles, 24 tops fives, 43 top 10s,  1,107 laps led and 15 DNFs

Brad Keselowski

Career starts: 257

First start: 2008 Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (Finished 19th, two laps down)

100th start: 2012 Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Started and finished 15th)

Stats in first 100 starts: Six wins, two poles, 14 top fives, 25 tops 10s, 598 laps led and eight DNFs

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Career starts: 595

First start: 1999 Coca-Cola 600 (Finished 16th, three laps down)

100th start: 20o2 Mountain Dew 500 (Finished 16th)

Stats in first 100 starts: Six wins, five poles, 18 top fives, 30 top 10s, 1,919 laps led and 15 DNFs

Jimmie Johnson made his 100th Sprint Cup Series start on Sept. 4, 2004 at Auto Club Speedway (Photo by Gavin Lawrence/Getty Images).
Jimmie Johnson

Career start: 531

First start: 2001 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte (Finished 39th, crash)

100th start: 2004 Pop Secret at Auto Club Speedway (Finished 14th)

Stats in first 100 starts: 10 wins, seven poles, 35 top 10s, 57 top 10s,  2, 481 laps led and 12 DNFs

Tony Stewart

Career starts: 606

First start: 1999 Daytona 500 (Finished 28th, 19 laps down)

100th start: 2001 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at North Carolina Speedway (Finished seventh)

Stats in first 100 starts: 12 wins, four poles, 38 top fives, 64 top 10s,  2, 795 laps led and 10 DNFs

CHRIS BUESCHER REVEALS DARLINGTON THROWBACK LOOK

Chris Buescher is the latest driver to reveal his throwback paint scheme for Darlington's Bojangles' Southern 500 on Sept. 4 (6 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM).

The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate's No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford matches the fuel canopies from sponsor Love's Travel Stops first travel stop in 1981. Check out the scheme in Buescher's tweet below.

My @LovesTravelStop scheme for @TooToughToTame! Matches the fuel canopies from Love’s first travel stop in 1981. pic.twitter.com/40D7cndQ4J
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) August 24, 2016

"The Darlington throwback weekend has become a pretty big deal, and it's cool to have Love's Travel Stops bring some of their history into the race weekend with their old colors," Buescher said in a team release. "Darlington is my favorite track, and I can't wait to get there and turn some laps in this special Love's Ford Fusion."

This year's Darlington race will mark Buescher's first event there in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. The 2015 XFINITY Series champion notched one top 10 in four career XFINITY Series starts at Darlington.

Buescher's teammate Landon Cassill unveiled his throwback on Tuesday, which you can see here.

NASCAR America: Scan All: Kyle Larson’s Michigan win

In the latest installment of Scan All, get an all-access look at the thrills and crashes from NASCAR’s Michigan race which saw Kyle Larson finish on top for the first time in his Sprint Cup career.

Watch NASCAR America at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN: Remembering Betty Jane France

Today’s episode of NASCAR America will memorialize the life of Betty Jane France, NASCAR’s former “First Lady” who died Monday after making many contributions (such as the NASCAR Foundation) to stock-car racing.

Mike Helton, the vice chairman of NASCAR and longtime confidant of the France family, will make a special guest appearance to share his thoughts about Betty Jane France.

Dave Briggs hosts with Dale Jarrett in Stamford, Connecticut. They are joined by Steve Letarte and Bobby Labonte from NBC Sports Charlotte.

Also on today’s show:

With Darlington and Richmond left in the regular season, drivers on the playoff bubble face their last shots to win and make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. We’ll break down their chances of breaking through in crunch time.
Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup Series champion, recalls his success at Darlington on the eve of the second annual throwback weekend at the track “Too Tough To Tame.”
In our weekly Scan All! feature, hear all the drivers’ real-time reactions during Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
And in My Home Track, we’ll head for California and a track where a young Kyle Larson reached an important milestone early in his career.
If you’re not near a TV, you can watch online or on the NBC Sports app at the NASCAR stream on NBC Sports. If you plan to stream the show on your laptop or portable device, be sure to have your username and password from your cable/satellite/telco provider handy so your subscription can be verified.

Once you enter that information, you’ll have access to the stream.

Click here at 6 p.m. ET to watch live via the stream.

NASCAR America: Bobby Labonte on what it takes to win at Darlington

Bobby Labonte joins the NASCAR America crew to talk about how difficult the Darlington Raceway track is ahead of the Southern 500. Labonte, the 2000 Sprint Cup champion, won at Darlington once in both the Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series.

NASCAR does not view Kyle Larson’s celebration as excessive

A NASCAR executive says the sanctioning body has no issues with the burnout Kyle Larson performed Sunday after scoring his first career Sprint Cup victory.

Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said Monday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the celebration was not viewed as excessive.

O’Donnell said earlier this month on “The Morning Drive’’ that series officials were seeing a jķ,  we don’t like to see” with victory celebrations that damage the winning car. He said at the time that “you’ll probably see us sooner than later put something in place that covers us for that as you kind of head into the last quarter of the season.’’

But O’Donnell didn’t have an issue with Larson’s burnout after Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway.

“I think it’s something that we’re continuing to look at, but, in this case, it was the guy’s first win, it’s been three years, he was ecstatic,’’ O’Donnell said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I think we were part of the fan group in terms of looking down and saying that was awesome to see and an awesome moment. I chalk this one up as more of that. The car passed post-race inspection. It will certainly go to the R&D Center, but I look at this one as it was a first race win and someone really out there celebrating as they should".

SMI announces $10 children’s tickets for 2017 Sprint Cup races

Families attending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Speedway Motorsports Inc. facilities next season will spend less for children’s tickets for the 13 Cup races at the company’s eight racetracks.

SMI officials announced Monday a “Fans First” initiative: For every adult ticket purchased, up to two children’s (ages 12 and under) tickets will cost $10 each in select sections.

The move follows NASCAR’s announcement last week that children 12 and under will be able to attend Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series races starting next season for free with a paying adult.

“Coming to the races should be about fun, not finances,” SMI President/CEO Marcus Smith said in a statement. “Now a parent can get his or her child through the gates for an entire weekend of NASCAR events – including pole night, a Camping World Truck or Xfinity Series race and a Cup Series race – for just $10. This is one of the best, if not THE best, family values in all professional sports.

“NASCAR fans have passed down their passion for motorsports from generation to generation for decades, and through this new Fans First initiative, we’ll continue that legacy by introducing young fans to the sport and engaging them for years to come.”

Here’s a list of the 13 Sprint Cup races that will be held at SMI’s tracks. Tickets for some races have already gone on sale:

March 5, 2017 — Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 12, 2017 — Cobalt 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
April 9, 2017 — O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Texas Motor Speedway
April 23, 2017 — Food City 500, Bristol Motor Speedway
May 20, 2017 — NASCAR All-Star Race, Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 28, 2017 — Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 25, 2017 — Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway
July 8, 2017 — Quaker State 400, Kentucky Speedway
July 16, 2017 — New Hampshire 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Aug. 19, 2017 — Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, Bristol Motor Speedway
Sept. 24, 2017 — New England 300, New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Oct. 7, 2017 — Bank of America 500, Charlotte Motor Speedway
Nov. 5, 2017 — AAA Texas 500, Texas Motor Speedway

As for International Speedway Corporation’s pricing for children’s tickets, a company spokesman told NBC Sports: “ISC tracks have offered affordable youth pricing (on an individual facility basis) for years, and while we will continue to evaluate the marketplace and make adjustments as necessary, we are very comfortable our existing offers are competitive, attractive and deliver a fantastic event experience for families and kids alike.”