Posted on by Holly Cain

At this point, Happy must be Ecstatic.

Kevin Harvick, nicknamed “Happy Harvick” years ago collected his series-leading seventh win of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season at Michigan International Speedway Sunday afternoon – leading a dominant 108 of the 200 laps – feeling so good he escorted his six-year old son Keelan out to the front-stretch to pick up the checkered flag and wave to the enthusiastic crowd.

RELATED: Harvick wins at Michigan | Keelan enjoys victory celebration with dad

Then together, father and son rode to Victory Lane in Harvick’s winning No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Fusion, Keelan holding the flag out the passenger side door en route. After deciding to wait inside his dad’s car during the Victory Lane champagne spray bath, he ultimately climbed out and playfully splashed a water bottle on Harvick’s business manager standing nearby.

Good fun. Great day. 

And if it sounds a little like a Disney fairytale, there are some that would argue that’s exactly how Harvick’s 2018 season has gone. But the success is truly a result of the hard work from the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team – work that is propelling the 42-year old Californian toward a historic championship run.

A win or two early in the season would have secured Harvick’s place in the Playoffs and his team could have simply shifted its efforts to preparing for the season-ending championship run. But instead of coasting, this group has been in high-gear, super-focused and the mindset and hard work has produced an epic year.

Harvick has only finished outside of the top-10 four times all year and three of those were DNFs after being collected in a incident. The other non-top-10 one was a 35th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in California – a long day nursing an “off” car to the checkered flag.

RELATED: See all of Harvick’s victories | Recap every 2018 race winner

His season win total (seven) is already a single season career high – with 13 races still remaining on the calendar. He and a fellow member of the season’s “Big 3” championship contenders Kyle Busch have earned 21 victories each in the past five years – most among their competitors.

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson – who is still looking for his first win of the 2018 season – has 17 wins in that time frame as does reigning Cup champ Martin Truex Jr. Those four drivers (Harvick, 2014, Busch, 2015, Johnson, 2016, Truex 2017) are the last four series champions.

“The confidence is high, and right now you just don’t want to screw it up,” Harvick allowed Sunday afternoon. “I think the biggest thing that it does is it actually makes you work harder because of the fact that you want to cover all the details because you’re fairly certain that when the car rolls out of the hauler that it’s going to be fast, and if it’s not, you have the tools and the people to be able to figure it out and fix it.”

Yet even with the statistics and the performance Harvick must both figuratively and literally spend time looking in his rearview mirror. He’s having a career year and yet Busch is still on his heels and at his bumper every step of the way creating – a thrilling championship race for fans and keeping the SHR team honest and motivated.

RELATED: How the playoff picture is shaping up post-Michigan

Busch has six wins and 19 top-10 finishes in 23 races. And … he was third behind Harvick on Sunday. He is the defending race winner at this week’s stop at Bristol Motor Speedway and he won the spring race at the track earlier this season. Plus, his seven career wins there is best among active drivers.

Both Harvick and Busch are on pace to join a modern history elite club. The last time a driver scored double digit wins was 2007 when Johnson had 10 wins and won the championship. Prior to that, Jeff Gordon turned in an incredible streak of three consecutive seasons with the mark – 1996 (10 wins), 1997 (10 wins) and 1998 (13 wins) with championships in ’97 and ’98.

“Any win in this division of racing is hard to come by, and like I say, I’ve been on both sides of that,” Harvick reiterated.

“I think right now, we’re just enjoying it and the guys on the team understand because they’ve been on both sides of that fence, as well, with the struggles and things that don’t always go your way. We’re going to enjoy it. We’re going to enjoy each other, and we’ve eliminated a lot of extracurricular things to make sure that all we focus on is this race team. Don’t care about anything else. 

“Right now it’s all about winning races and making sure that myself and [crew chief] Rodney [Childers] and everybody is covering the details and being in the right state of mind as we go into Vegas [Playoff opener].”

It all makes for compelling, must-see TV and as much as Harvick, Busch and Truex Jr., a four-time winner and also member of The Big 3 – may celebrate, the fans and the series are winning too. This is a season for the ages – a legitimately epic battle for trophies creating a dramatic Playoff scenario and re-writing modern history.

“You never know what’s going to happen, and we go in one week at a time trying to focus on the things we need to focus on, and right now we’re going to enjoy this one and drink some cold Busch beer once we get home or I am,” Harvick said smiling.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick celebrated Sunday’s victory at Michigan International Speedway sans-burnout after crew chief Rodney Childers told him not to burn it down as the No. 4 Ford was going to the wind tunnel.

Harvick’s winning vehicle is one of six cars NASCAR is taking to the wind tunnel this week for engine audits and to study data, data it will provide to all three manufacturers.

The sanctioning body selected two cars from each manufacturer; Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and the No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski (second place); the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon (fourth place) and No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott (ninth place); and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Kyle Busch (third place) and No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Denny Hamlin (eighth place).

“We try to find a track obviously where aero’s going to play a bigger role, so we took six cars – two from each OEM – and they’ll be in the wind tunnel,” NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell said on SiriusXM Monday morning. “And our process is to share (data) that with the OEMs and the race teams. It’s a good barometer for us for two things — to make sure we’re still in that box set for the current year and probably most importantly, we look to lock in 2019, that the baseline that we’re using matches up with all the data that we have in the system.

“So, it’s a good check on both for not only ’18, but future race packages as well.”

MORE: Full race results from Michigan | Updated standings

NASCAR also took six cars into the wind tunnel after the race at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Elliott, Harvick and Busch were also included in that selection, along with Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano and Erik Jones.

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick’s victory at Michigan International Speedway was the 44th of his career in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 17th place all time.

Harvick provides an interesting stats comparison with “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville,” who watched Kyle Busch scoot past him on the all-time wins list earlier this season.

PHOTOS: Bill Elliott’s career

Elliott’s 44th win came in the penultimate race of the 2003 season at Rockingham. Elliott, then 48 years old, led 140 laps in a Ray Evernham Dodge to cap his career, although he’d go on to race 98 more times in NASCAR’s top series over the next nine years — and will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series later this month at Road America.

Let’s take a look at how Harvick’s career stats match up to Elliott’s at the time of both drivers’ 44th win.

Key Stats Bill Elliott Kevin Harvick
Starts 730 633
Wins 44 44
Top fives 175 185
Top 10s 318 326
Laps led 11,178 12,281
Laps completed 207,750 181,425
Busch Pole Awards 55 23
Age 48 42

Now, let’s take a closer look at Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch’s career stats, considering both drivers are in the midst of career years — Harvick has seven wins through 23 races this year, and Busch has six wins of his own — and reached the 44-win plateau earlier this season.

The below are both drivers’ stats at the time of their respective 44th win.

Key Stats Kevin Harvick
 Kyle Busch
Starts 633 469
Wins 44 44
Top fives 185 166
Top 10s 326 247
Laps led 12,281 14,730
Laps completed 181,425 131,011
Busch Pole Awards 23 28
Age 42 32

Harvick and “Rowdy” clearly are in good company here, and they have a few other NASCAR Hall of Famers in their sights.

Tied with Tony Stewart, Busch’s next Monster Energy Series win will make him just the 13th driver in NASCAR history to win 50 races at the sport’s top level. Harvick, meanwhile, is tracking down NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker (46 wins) on the all-time list.

Here’s a look at the all-time top-20 winners in Monster Energy Series history, with an asterisk denoting an active driver.

Rank Driver Wins
1. Richard Petty 200
2. David Pearson 105
3. Jeff Gordon 93
t-4. Bobby Allison 84
t-4. Darrell Waltrip 84
t-6. Jimmie Johnson* 83
t-6. Cale Yarborough 83
8. Dale Earnhardt 76
9. Rusty Wallace 55
10. Lee Petty 54
t-11. Junior Johnson 50
t-11. Ned Jarrett 50
t-13. Tony Stewart 49
t-13. Kyle Busch* 49
15. Herb Thomas 48
16. Buck Baker 46
t-17. Bill Elliott 44
t-17. Kevin Harvick* 44
19. Mark Martin 40
20. Tim Flock 39

 

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

BROOKLYN, Mich. — A brand-new car is just what Austin Dillon needed to turn around a trying season since his Daytona 500 win in February.

Dillon finished fourth in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway, piloting a freshly built No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet chassis for his second top-five finish of the year — and his first since winning in Daytona.

But it wasn’t smooth sailing for Dillon. Running second behind eventual race winner Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining, his car shot up the race track abruptly and Dillon lost two positions to Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch while he tried to regain control.

RELATED: Race results | Standings

Dillon quickly climbed out of the car after the race and checked the tires in an effort to diagnose the problem. He still wasn’t sure what caused the issue.

“The tire … with two laps to go, it was like the tire was unraveling or the lug nuts were loose,” Dillon said. “Just wanted to bring home a good finish. We really needed that.”

Team owner and Austin’s grandfather, Richard Childress, applauded Dillon for his quick thinking to avoid potential disaster.

“I wish he could have gotten that second that he was running,” Childress said. “All of a sudden he just shot up the race track and it started vibrating. He pulled over and let them go, which was the smart thing. Better to do that than hit the wall. But it felt good to see a Chevy run up there.”

Despite the strong finish, Dillon couldn’t help but think of what might have been without the vibration that he said came out of nowhere.

“Man, I wish I could have brought it home in second,” Dillon said. “Awesome racing with Harvick there at the end in our Camaro. Ah, man, it just feels great when we’ve been struggling all year long since Daytona.”

“To have a top-five run like that is huge,” he added. “If the 4 makes a mistake we’re there to capitalize. … He (Harvick) was the dominant car all day and I felt like we were the second-place car behind him.”

While recent finishes have been disappointing, Childress did offer an explanation for why the team hasn’t run up front much this season. With Dillon’s Daytona win already in hand early in the season, the No. 3 team has been focusing on the bigger playoff picture.

“That’s what we’re working on right now,” Childress said. “Everything we’re doing. We missed it a few times because of trying stuff for the playoffs. So, pretty good right now.”

After collecting six stage points in Stage 2 to bring his season total up to 18 bonus points for the playoffs, Dillon flexed his muscle by following right in the tire tracks of Harvick’s No. 4 Ford throughout much of the final stage at what he considers one of his best race tracks.

“I think it just all came together,” Dillon said. “This is a big place for everybody, especially all the manufacturers. To come out here and be the top-finishing Chevy that means a lot for RCR. We’ll keep working hard. This is a great showing leading into the playoffs.”

The finish is a huge boost of confidence for Dillon & Co. after they scored only three top-10 finishes since his Daytona triumph. Dillon is hoping the momentum carries him through the final three regular-season races.

“Top tens, consistency and the ability to win races is there,” Dillon said. “Anybody who runs in the top five on a given basis has the chance to win and we have to do that more often going into the playoffs.”

Dillon said that if the 3 team can continue to bring top-notch cars to the track, he can continue to challenge for victories.

“I feel like I have one of the biggest hearts out there in this garage as a driver and can get it done when we put great cars on the track,” he said. “We put a great car on the track today and I showed what we can do.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Last week at Watkins Glen, Chase Elliott’s maiden victory on the road course interrupted the season of the Big 3.

But on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick restored the status quo, winning for the seventh time this season and breaking a tie with third-place finisher Kyle Busch for most victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 

RELATED: Full race results | SHOP: Harvick gear

Harvick led 108 of the 200 laps in the Consumers Energy 400 and cruised to a 3.233-second win over runner-up Brad Keselowski, who took over second place when Austin Dillon slowed with a cut tire on the next-to-last lap. Dillon nevertheless held fourth place at the finish, one spot ahead of Ryan Blaney.

 The victory was Harvick’s second at the 2-mile track — the first having come in 2010 — and the 44th of his career, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 17th on a all-time win list. Harvick swept the first and second stages of the race and leap-frogged past Busch into the lead in playoff points. Harvick now has 40 to Busch’s 35.

 “The most important thing is winning races right now and getting all the points that you can get to position yourself well to get to Homestead,” Harvick said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do all year is win races. 

“That was our only goal. We didn’t want to learn anything. We don’t want to do anything different. We just want to go out, and we want to win.”

 Keselowski, who drove from his 18th-place starting position to the runner-up spot, was grateful to have a clean race.

WATCH: Trouble at end of Stage 2 for Truex | Two spins for Jones

“It’s nice to be able to get the finish we deserved,” Keselowski said. “That’s important. It’s important to get what you have out of your car. Although we might not have race-winning speed, it’s important to execute. 

“So with that in mind, it’s good for everybody’s morale at Team Penske, and on the No. 2 team as well, but of course we want to break through and win as well. As I indicated, we not where we need to be to just win on speed against those guys week-in and week-out, so we’ve just got to find it. We’ve got to find that little bit of performance. It’s not a lot, but it’s just enough to keep us out of Victory Lane.” 

Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, pole winner Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

After the race, Harvick’s 6-year-old son, Keelan, ran across the track to collect the checkered flag. 

RELATED: See Keelan’s Michigan celebration

“Keelan is saving me some work,” Harvick quipped. “Usually, when I get home, the next day we have to mock up a Victory Lane celebration. For him to be here and able to do that and be a part of NASCAR and bring your son to work and do all the things that we get to do with our kids, I have had him with me by myself the last three weeks and we have had a ball.

“I couldn’t be happier to be a dad and be a part of NASCAR where they let your family come to the race track and be a part of it.”

In the regular-season series standings, Kyle Busch maintained a 62-point lead over Harvick. Dillon scored his first top five since winning the season-opening Daytona 500.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will all be at Bristol Motor Speedway for tripleheader action. Check out the full schedule below, which is subject to change.

Note: All times are ET

MORE: How to find NBCSN

SATURDAY, AUG. 18
4:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
5:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver Introductions
6:24:45 p.m.: God Bless USA performed by Lee Greenwood
6:30:00 p.m.: Presentation of Colors by Tennessee Army National Guard
6:30:25 p.m.: Pledge of Allegiance by Oliver North, President of NRA, accompanied by The Green Beret of 5th Group
6:31:05 p.m.: Invocation by Bill Mauldin, MRO
6:31:55 p.m.: National Anthem by MRO Kids
6:33:15 p.m.: Fly-by TOT: 4 T-38’s from 469th Flying Training Squadron, Shepherd AFB, Wichita, TX
6:40:15 p.m.: Command to start engines by Johnny Morris, Founder of Bass Pro Shops and 200 Bass Pro Shops store managers
6:46:00 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (500 laps, 266.5 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 2) (Results)

TRACKSIDE LIVE (Watch live)
3-4 p.m.: Bristol Motor Speedway

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
2 p.m.: Charlotte Motor Speedway
10 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race

THURSDAY, AUG. 16
9:05-9:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice, FS1 (Results)
10:05-10:55 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
11:05-11:55 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1 (Results)
1:35-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
4:10 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole qualifying, FS1 (Results)
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UHOH 200 (200 laps, 106.6 miles), FOX (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
Noon: Elliott Sadler
12:15: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric
12:30: Riley Herbst, Ben Rhodes
12:45: Grant Enfinger, Myatt Snider
1:15 p.m.: Stewart Friesen
3 p.m.: Sterling Marlin
10:15 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

FRIDAY, AUG. 17
10:35-11:55 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series first practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 1) (Results)
12:40-1:50 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 1, 4, 5) (Results)
3:40 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series pole qualifying, NBCSN/ NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO) (Results)
5:40 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Busch Pole Qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 2) (Results)
7:28 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 (300 laps, 159.9 miles), NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 4) (Results)

PRESS PASS (Watch live)
9 a.m.: Kasey Kahne
9:30 a.m.: Austin Dillon
9:45 a.m.: Kevin Harvick
2:15 p.m.: Kyle Busch
2:30 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
6:40 p.m.: Post-Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying
9:30 p.m.: Post-NASCAR Xfinity Series race

TRACKSIDE LIVE (Watch live)
2 p.m.-3 p.m.: Bristol Motor Speedway

Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET. 

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Gets FOX Sports Go | How to find NBCSN 

Monday, August 13
1:30 p.m.: Glory Road: Blacker, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2 p.m.: Glory Road: NASCAR Goes Road Racing, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
2:30 p.m.: NASCAR 120: Michigan, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

On MRN
noon: Motorsports Monday (with hosts Woody Cain & Joey Meier)

Tuesday, August 14
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6:30 p.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9 p.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
9:30 p.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
10 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Corrigan Oil 200 (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, August 15
Midnight: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
12:30 a.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Classic: 1994 Coca-Cola 600 (re-air), FS1
4 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Corrigan Oil 200 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America: Wednesdays with Dale Jr., NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West: Evergreen Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m.: NASCAR Whelen Series: Thompson Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
noon: Crew Call (with hosts Sammi Jo Francis and Rocko Williams)
1 p.m.: NASCAR Coast to Coast (with hosts Kyle Rickey & Hannah Newhouse)

Thursday, August 16
9 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FS1
10 a.m.: Beyond the Wheel, FS1
10 a.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
11 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FS1
1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice, NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
4 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying, FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m.: The Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
8 p.m.: NASCAR RaceDay: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, FOX
8:30 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200, FOX

On MRN
1 p.m.: Throwback Thursday: 1985 Valley Dale 500

Friday, August 17
1:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (re-air), FS1
10:30 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 1)
noon: The Dale Jr. Download (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 1, 4, 5)
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
3:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN GO)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 2)
7 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:28 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN 4)
9:30 p.m.: NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
10 p.m.: NASCAR The Decades: The 1980’s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

On MRN
noon: The Inside Line (with host Tyler Burnett)

Saturday, August 18
12:30 p.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 p.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m.: NASCAR America pre-race show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
6:30 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN2)
10 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Sunday, August 19
Midnight: NASCAR The Decades: The 1970’s, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1 a.m.: Glory Road: Modified Mastery (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
1:30 a.m.: Glory Road: Blacker (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
10 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 (re-air), FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR 120: Bristol, NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick passed Martin Truex Jr. on Lap 110 and went on to win Stage 2, sweeping the stage wins on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. With Truex Jr. conserving fuel, Harvick scooted past on the inside lane and cruised to his series-leading 12th stage victory of the 2018 season.

Truex had to come to pit road with one lap remaining in the stage because his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was running dry. Since pit road was closed for the end of the stage, Truex was assessed a penalty.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Just like in Stage 1, Kyle Busch finished second in Stage 2 in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota, with Ryan Blaney third in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford. Kurt Busch, in the No. 41 SHR Ford, and Austin Dillon, in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, rounded out the top five.

Joey Logano rebounded from shock problems on the opening pace laps to finish sixth in Stage 2.

Erik Jones spun for the second time on Lap 83 bringing out a caution, but Jones had rebounded to 15th place by the end of the stage.

STAGE 2 RESULTS

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing  10
2 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing   9
3 Ryan Blaney Team Penske   8
4 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing   7
5 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing   6
6 Joey Logano Team Penske   5
7 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing   4
8 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing   3
9 Brad Keselowski Team Penske   2
10 Kyle Larson  Chip Ganassi Racing   1

Stage 1

Kevin Harvick took the lead from Kyle Busch on a restart following a competition caution on Lap 25 and did not look back to win Stage 1.

Kyle Busch finished second in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Ford coming in third. Kurt Busch, in the No. 41 SHR Ford, and Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota, rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Truex rebounded from an early incident with the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by William Byron. The two collided in Turn 2 on Lap 15 with Byron taking the brunt of the damage. Truex, meanwhile, took no tires on the competition-caution pit stop to make up ground.

Erik Jones also brought out a caution by spinning in Turn 4 on Lap 8.

STAGE 1 RESULTS

Finish Driver Team Race Points
1  Kevin Harvick  Stewart-Haas Racing  10
2  Kyle Busch  Joe Gibbs Racing   9
3  Ryan Blaney  Team Penske   8
4  Kurt Busch  Stewart-Haas Racing   7
5  Martin Truex Jr.  Furniture Row Racing   6
6  Denny Hamlin  Joe Gibbs Racing   5
7  Aric Almirola  Stewart-Haas Racing   4
8  Ryan Newman  Richard Childress Racing   3
9  Brad Keselowski  Team Penske   2
10  Alex Bowman  Hendrick Motorsports   1
Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the Consumers Energy 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway.

Enjoy!

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Denny Hamlin nabbed the Busch Pole Award before Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway and found himself a spot in my starting lineup as a result. After three practice sessions and qualifying, we’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions for the 23rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018. Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2.

To the rear: Blake Jones (transmission change), Ross Chastain (driver change), David Ragan (transmission change).
There will be a competition caution on Lap 25.

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kevin Harvick
2: Erik Jones
3: Joey Logano
4: Ryan Blaney
5: Denny Hamlin
Garage: Kyle Larson

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Michigan | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

Analysis: A few changes from my original lineup but before we get into those, let’s run through who I am keeping. I devised my Harvick usage plan around having him for Michigan and he’s looked solid, so he’s a must start for me. Jones led the way on the 10-lap average board in both of Saturday’s sessions and has six top-seven finishes in his last seven races. Logano has a good Michigan history, topped the speed chart in final practice and I’m in a pretty good spot with usages there. Larson’s solid showing in final practice keeps him in my lineup but shifting him to the garage. The three-time Michigan winner has plenty of confidence here and was third on the 10-lap average board in final practice.

Two lineup changes for me going into Sunday’s race. Out are Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. and in are Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin. Elliott has a good history here but seems a little off this weekend after his Watkins Glen win. Truex is hit or miss at Michigan over the past few years and this seems to be shaping up as a miss. He was 17th in final practice and struggled here in June as well. With two uses left, I will likely deploy him at Darlington and Indianapolis to close out the game.

Blaney moves into my lineup on the strength of placing in the top six in all three practice sessions and second on the 10-lap board in final practice. He won a stage here in June and had the fourth-most points in that race, so I am saying yes to YRB. Hamlin takes the last active spot in my lineup based on his pole position and a top-five showing on the 10-lap board in final practice. I started the weekend thinking I would avoid him, but feel pretty good about how he looks this weekend.

A spotty Michigan history combined with two uses left and wanting to use Kyle Busch for the two longest races left — Bristol and Darlington — lead me to keep him off the roster this weekend. The 2015 champion will be deployed as a stage winner for me as will Harvick, with “Happy” being my race winner pick after coming so close here in June.