Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. win stages in Las Vegas playoff race
Staff Report
Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Brad Keselowski won Stage 2 in the South Point 400 on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway pulling away from Martin Truex Jr. on the high line during a late restart to capture the green-white-checkered flag. Keselowski, who won the previous two races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, kept some of that momentum going in the opening race of the NASCAR Playoffs.
The same could not be said for Kevin Harvick, who wrecked in Turn 1 on Lap 147 and collected Erik Jones in the process. Both playoff drivers were knocked out of the race and will need to make up ground in the next two races in order to advance to the second round, although Harvick's 50 playoff points have him in a better spot than Jones.
RELATED: Stage 2 results
Keselowski outpaced Kurt Busch, who finished second in the stage. Truex, the winner of Stage 1, finished third, with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in fourth and non-playoff driver Jamie McMurray in fifth place.
Kyle Larson, who went a lap down in Stage 1, rebounded to finish 10th in Stage 2 thanks in part to an early caution for debris that allowed the No. 42 to come to pit road and work on a problem with the right-front side of the car.
Finish
Driver
Team
Race Points
1
Brad Keselowski
Team Penske
10
2
Kurt Busch
Stewart-Haas Racing
9
3
Martin Truex Jr.
Furniture Row Racing
8
4
Jimmie Johnson
Hendrick Motorsports
7
5
Jamie McMurray
Chip Ganassi Racing
6
6
Joey Logano
Team Penske
5
7
Chase Elliott
Hendrick Motorsports
4
8
Ryan Blaney
Team Penske
3
9
Alex Bowman
Hendrick Motorsports
2
10
Kyle Larson
Chip Ganassi Racing
1
Stage 1
Martin Truex Jr. won Stage 1 after passing Kevin Harvick's No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford on Lap 60 and riding to the green-white-checkered flag at Lap 80. It was the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team's eighth stage win of the season.
The first stage was not as smooth for fellow playoff driver Kyle Larson, who had to bring his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to pit road on Lap 71 because of a right-front tire starting to go down. Larson finished the stage one lap down in 25th place.
RELATED: Stage 1 results
Harvick finished second, with playoff drivers Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott rounding out the top five. Ryan Newman, in 10th place, was the only non-playoff driver to gain a stage point.
Kyle Busch, Joey Logano (leader of 33 of the first 34 laps), pole-sitter Erik Jones and Aric Almirola finished sixth through ninth, respectively.