Kevin Harvick won his third consecutive race on Sunday, taking the checkered flag for the ninth time in his career at ISM Raceway in Phoenix. With the victory, Harvick becomes the ninth driver in NASCAR history to win nine or more times at a single track and the first to win three straight since Joey Logano in 2015.
Retweet to congratulate @KevinHarvick on his 40th career win!#NASCARGoesWest pic.twitter.com/rwdST2CoOP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 11, 2018
The race was mostly dominated by Kyle Busch, who finished second but Kevin Harvick was able to snag the lead with nearly 20 laps to go and drive on to a victory. Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. followed to round out the top five.
Harvick first took the No. 4 to Victory Lane this season at Atlanta, and went on to win at Las Vegas last week. His second of the three consecutive wins didn't count toward his playoff total, as the Stewart-Haas Racing team was penalized for a rear-window infraction.
Kyle Larson took the lead from pole-starter Martin Truex Jr. early in the race but was passed by Kyle Busch on Lap 58. Busch went on to win Stage 1 followed by Kevin Harvick, Larson, Denny Hamlin and Truex to round out the top five.
Kurt Busch claimed Stage 2 via a one-lap shootout after staying out during the Lap 145 caution. The green-and-white checkered was Busch's second of the season. Brad Keselowski finished the stage second followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch and Michael McDowell.
TicketGuardian 500 results
- Kevin Harvick
- Kyle Busch
- Chase Elliott
- Denny Hamlin
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Clint Bowyer
- Aric Almirola
- Daniel Suarez
- Erik Jones
- Kurt Busch
- Ryan Newman
- William Byron
- Alex Bowman
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brad Keselowski
- Ryan Blaney
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Larson
- Joey Logano
- Trevor Bayne
- AJ Allmendinger
- David Ragan
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Kasey Kahne
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Jamie McMurray
- Ross Chastain
- Darrell Wallace Jr.
- Chris Buescher
- Ty Dillon
- DJ Kennington
- Michael McDowell
- Timmy Hill
- Gray Gaulding
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Paul Menard
- Corey LaJoie
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings
POSITION | DRIVER | CAR # | POINTS | BEHIND | WINS |
1. | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 168 | LEADER | 3 |
2. | Kyle Busch | 18 | 156 | -12 | 0 |
3. | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 | 156 | -12 | 0 |
4. | Joey Logano | 22 | 152 | -16 | 0 |
5. | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 152 | -16 | 0 |
6. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 137 | -31 | 0 |
7. | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 134 | -34 | 0 |
8. | Kyle Larson | 42 | 131 | -37 | 0 |
9. | Clint Boywer | 14 | 125 | -43 | 0 |
10. | Aric Almirola | 10 | 123 | -45 | 0 |
11. | Kurt Busch | 41 | 117 | -51 | 0 |
12. | Austin Dillon | 3 | 114 | -54 | 1 |
13. | Ryan Newman | 31 | 101 | -67 | 0 |
14. | Paul Menard | 21 | 97 | -71 | 0 |
15. | Erik Jones | 20 | 93 | -75 | 0 |
16. | Chase Elliott | 9 | 91 | -77 | 0 |
Larson went spinning in the second stage, but was able to stay on the track and continue to contend for a checkered flag. Before Larson's spin, he reported that the tires on his No. 42 Chevrolet were "shaking." Chris Buescher also brought out a caution when he hit the wall in the second stage.
Here's how @KyleLarsonRacin brought out the latest caution.#NASCARGoesWest pic.twitter.com/0sCRWj6AkT
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 11, 2018
Harvick snagged the lead early in the final stage but began to shuffle it with Hamlin and Kyle Busch with less than 100 laps to go. Amid the turbulence, Paul Menard went hard into the wall in Turn 2 and had to take his car into the garage.
Heavy damage that will end Paul Menard's day at @ISMRaceway.#NASCARGoesWest pic.twitter.com/TxZ5aB8hGp
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 11, 2018
Busch began to create some breathing room around 60 laps to go in the race while Harvick, Chase Elliott and Hamlin trailed in the distance. Green-flag stops began a few laps later with Elliott and Harvick coming in first while Busch stayed out. The No. 18 eventually came down pit road with 52 laps remaining. Keselowski and Ryan Newman stayed out as long as they could hoping for a caution but didn't get their wish.
After Newman and Keselowski came into the pits, Harvick cycled to the lead with nearly 20 to go as Kyle Busch trailed. The rest was history as Harvick drove on to win the race easily from that point.
