Harvick, Logano score stage wins; Johnson gains points in both stages

Kevin Harvick scored the fifth stage win of his 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Harvick led over three-fourths of the first 100 laps at the Brickyard on Sunday.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Kyle Larson came in second in the stage, while Ryan Blaney placed third and Stage 1 winner Joey Logano came in fourth. Clint Bowyer led the bubble brigade with a fifth-place stage finish, while Daniel Suarez (sixth) and Jimmie Johnson (eighth) also earned stage points. Ryan Newman did not earn Stage 2 points, while Johnson was the only driver to earn points in both stages.

With roughly 13 laps to go in Stage 2, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had smoke coming out of his machine and a big fire under the hood on pit road that ended his day.

STAGE 1 RECAP
Joey Logano used a strategy shakeup by staying out under a late-stage caution to score the Stage 1 win in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the Team Penske driver’s eighth stage win of the season.

Landon Cassill’s hard hit in Turn 1 brought out the caution on Lap 42 and led to Logano and Ryan Newman staying out, while Jimmie Johnson took two tires in an effort to gain stage points. Both Newman and Johnson are in a battle to make the 16-driver playoffs in the regular-season finale with two spots up for grabs. The gambles by both paid off and resulted in stage points due to their respective fifth- and sixth-place finishes in Stage 1. Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suarez did not score stage points — Bowyer was the first driver outside the top 10.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski’s hard wreck in Turn 2 brought the end of the stage under yellow. Both drivers were running in the top 10 when the incident occurred. Jones turned sideways, making contact with Keselowski and sending both cars into the wall. Keselowski’s hit into the tire barrier was particularly hard, and his No. 2 car came to a stop on its side. The defending race winner dropped the window quickly and exited his vehicle.

Kyle Larson finished second in the stage, while polesitter Kevin Harvick finished in third.

Some playoff bubble drivers found trouble in the opening stage. On Lap 11, Suarez’s No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford made contact with the wall. Suarez entered the race as the last driver in the provisional playoff field. During the ensuing caution, a tight pit road led to contact between Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace. All of that jammed up traffic also impacted Johnson, who had to make a return trip to pit road to fix some damage. Johnson was able to rally for some stage points.