Harvick Cruises to Victory in Michigan

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Consumers Energy 400 from Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

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Harvick dominated on Sunday, and earned his seventh victory after leading 108 laps.  After winning both stages, Harvick pulled away from Austin Dillon over the final 60-lap run to get to victory lane.

Harvick said he and his team were only focused on winning this weekend.

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

“We don’t want to learn anything, we don’t want to try anything different; we want to go out and we want to win.”

Dillon was running second with two laps to go, but he dropped to fourth after suffering a tire issue coming to the white flag.

Dillon said he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to fight Harvick for the win.

“We were in a position where, if something happened to [Harvick], we could win the race,” Dillon said.  “I came down the straightaway and it was just shaking like either the tire was unravelling or a loose wheel.”

“Didn’t want to lose this great finish.  We have this capability when we put our best days together, and we’ve got to keep doing it…this year being in the playoffs.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Brad Keselowski

3. Kyle Busch

4. Austin Dillon

5. Ryan Blaney

6. Kurt Busch

7. Aric Almirola

8. Denny Hamlin

9. Chase Elliott

10. Joey Logano

11. Daniel Suarez

12. Clint Bowyer

13. Erik Jones

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Ryan Newman

16. Paul Menard

17. Kyle Larson

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

19. Alex Bowman

20. Chris Buescher

21. Jamie McMurray

22. AJ Allmendinger

23. Darrell Wallace Jr.

24. Matt DiBenedetto

25. Michael McDowell

26. Kasey Kahne

27. David Ragan

28. Jimmie Johnson

29. Landon Cassill

30. Blake Jones

31. BJ McLeod

32. Garrett Smithley

33. Gray Gaulding

34. Trevor Bayne

35. Ross Chastain

36. William Byron

37. Timmy Hill

38. Ty Dillon

39. Jeffrey Earnhardt

40. Corey LaJoie

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Chase Elliott Finally Finds Victory Lane at Watkins Glen

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Chase Elliott won the GoBowling.com at the Glen from Watkins Glen International on Sunday afternoon for his first career victory.

After qualifying third for Sunday’s race, Elliott ran up front throughout the day.  After challenging throughout the first stage, Elliott took the lead from Kyle Busch at the beginning of stage 2. 

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

After a pit miscue sent Busch to the back before the final run, Elliott had to hold off Martin Truex Jr. throughout the final 30 laps. 

Elliott said he almost gave the win away on the final lap when his car wheel-hopped going into Turn 1.

“I started wheel-hopping and I had two options: either knock it out of gear or spin out…I chose to knock it out of gear,” Elliott said.  “Luckily I had a big enough gap at the time where Martin wasn’t next to me.  I thought if I could just be in front of him before the esses, typically you can gap a guy through there.”

After finishing second eight times throughout his first 98 career Cup Series races, Elliott was finally able to get to victory lane in his 99th career race. 

Elliott said he was relieved to finally get the first victory out of the way.

“So thrilled, so emotional, so much relief,” Elliott said.  “Working on three years and we haven’t won one.  I had the opportunity today and we were able to get it done.”

“I had a good group around me to keep pushing me and keep making me realize we weren’t in those positions by accident.  Just wanted to make sure if we were in a position to capitalize, and we did it.”

Truex finished second after running out of fuel on the final lap, and said that he believed his car was faster than Elliott’s over the final run.

“I could catch him, but just when I’d get close, I’d get loose and fall back,” Truex said.  “He put his car exactly where I needed to be and I couldn’t get him.  I gave it everything I had every single lap.”

“We ran out of gas on the last lap, so I guess it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.”

Unofficial results:

1. Chase Elliott

2. Martin Truex Jr.

3. Kyle Busch

4. Daniel Suarez

5. Erik Jones

6. Kyle Larson

7. Jamie McMurray

8. William Byron

9. Kurt Busch

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Clint Bowyer

12. Ryan Blaney

13. Denny Hamlin

14. Alex Bowman

15. AJ Allmendinger

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. Brad Keselowski

18. Michael McDowell

19. Ryan Newman

20. Chris Buescher

21. Kasey Kahne

22. Aric Almirola

23. Ty Dillon

24. Parker Kligerman

25. Darrell Wallace Jr.

26. David Ragan

27. Austin Dillon

28. Paul Menard

29. Matt Kenseth

30. Jimmie Johnson

31. Landon Cassill

32. Ross Chastain

33. Matt DiBenedetto

34. Cole Whitt

35. Spencer Gallagher

36. Josh Bilicki

37. Joey Logano

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Busch Continues to Dominate, Wins at Pocono

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch won the Gander Outdoors 400 from Pocono Raceway on Sunday afternoon for his sixth win of the season.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Busch started in the back of the pack after failing post-qualifying inspection on Saturday, but he quickly worked his way to the front when the green flag dropped.  Busch took the lead late in the race, but he had to hold off teammate Daniel Suarez over two late restarts.

Busch said he was impressed with how clean Suarez raced him over the final run.

“I can’t say enough about my teammate,” Busch said.  “He gave us a run for our money on those last couple restarts.  He ran me so clean; he did a great job.”

The victory was the 49th of Busch’s career, which ties him with Tony Stewart on the NASCAR Cup Series wins list.

Busch said it was an honor to be mentioned with Stewart, but he hopes to keep moving up.

“You keep reaching higher up the ladder and reaching more milestones,” Busch said.  “Tony Stewart’s one of the all-time best and I was a fan up as well, so it’s awesome to be able to tie him.”

Suarez finished a career-best second on Sunday, but he said he was disappointed he couldn’t catch Busch in the closing laps.

“I thought I was a little better than Kyle with new tires,” Suarez said.  “I felt like if I was able to complete the pass by corner 1, I was going to be able to hold him off.”

“It’s a little disappointing; it hurts to be close.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Daniel Suarez

3. Alex Bowman

4. Kevin Harvick

5. Erik Jones

6. William Byron

7. Chase Elliott

8. Ryan Newman

9. Kurt Busch

10. Denny Hamlin

11. Clint Bowyer

12. Ryan Blaney

13. Austin Dillon

14. AJ Allmendinger

15. Martin Truex Jr.

16. Michael McDowell

17. Jimmie Johnson

18. Matt Kenseth

19. David Ragan

20. Jamie McMurray

21. Paul Menard

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23. Kyle Larson

24. Ty Dillon

25. Aric Almirola

26. Joey Logano

27. Matt DiBenedetto

28. JJ Yeley

29. Jeffrey Earnhardt

30. Kasey Kahne

31. Kyle Weatherman

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Darrell Wallace Jr.

34. Landon Cassill

35. Ross Chastain

36. Timmy Hill

37. Chris Buescher

38. Brad Keselowski

39. Corey LaJoie

40. BJ McLoed

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Harvick Moves Busch in the Closing Laps to Win at New Hampshire

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday afternoon from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Harvick had a strong car throughout the race and ran towards the front for most of the day, but he had to chase down Kyle Busch following a late restart.  Harvick got to the back of Busch’s bumper on numerous occasions, and finally moved him in the closing laps.

Harvick said might not have had another chance to pass Busch with the laps winding down.

“We were just running out of laps and I was worried I wouldn’t get back to him again,” Harvick said.  “I didn’t want to wreck him, but I didn’t want to waste a ton of time behind him.”

With the victory, Harvick now stands atop the point standings with just six races remaining before the Playoffs begin.

Harvick said wins are more important with himself, Busch and Martin Truex Jr. winning a majority of the races this season.

“Winning is important, and you try to take every opportunity,” Harvick said.  “You’ve got to be aggressive and do what you’ve got to do to win these races.  We want to win and points are everything.”

Busch said his car wasn’t as strong as Harvick’s at the end of the race, but that he’ll remember how Harvick raced him later in the season.

“We had a really poor performance today,” Busch said.  “The car just wasn’t there all weekend.  We kind of struggled with it through the race.”

“I’m not sure [Harvick] had to do it, but he did…how you race is how you get raced.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Kyle Busch

3. Aric Almirola

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Chase Elliott

6. Ryan Newman

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Kurt Busch

9. Joey Logano

10. Jimmie Johnson

11. Alex Bowman

12. Kyle Larson

13. Denny Hamlin

14. William Byron

15. Matt Kenseth

16. Erik Jones

17. Paul Menard

18. Jamie McMurray

19. Kasey Kahne

20. Chris Buescher

21. Austin Dillon

22. Daniel Suarez

23. Ty Dillon

24. Darrell Wallace Jr.

25. Ross Chastain

26. Michael McDowell

27. Corey LaJoie

28. Matt DiBenedetto

29. David Ragan

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

31. Kyle Weatherman

32. Brad Keselowski

33. Blake Jones

34. BJ McLeod

35. Clint Bowyer

36. AJ Allmendinger

37. Landon Cassill

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Truex Dominates in Kentucky

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Martin Truex Jr. won the Quaker State 400 from Kentucky Speedway on Saturday night.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Truex won both stages and led a race-high 174 laps on his way to a dominant victory.  Truex did the same thing last year at Kentucky, and it propelled him into his championship run.

Truex said his team has the perfect notebook for Kentucky.

“We love coming here,” Truex said.  “We made it look easy last year but it certainly wasn’t.”

Truex started on the pole for Saturday’s race, and he said his team worked overnight to make the car better from practice and qualifying.

“We thought we were good yesterday and we tweaked on it for today,” Truex said.

Ryan Blaney finished second on Saturday, and he said it was a step in the right direction following a few weeks of poor finishes.

“After the last few weeks we’ve had, this is a very good positive for us,” Blaney said.  “Hopefully we can get it going in the right direction.”

Unofficial results:

1. Martin Truex Jr.

2. Ryan Blaney

3. Brad Keselowski

4. Kyle Busch

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Kurt Busch

7. Erik Jones

8. Aric Almirola

9. Kyle Larson

10. Joey Logano

11. Paul Menard

12. Clint Bowyer

13. Chase Elliott

14. Jimmie Johnson

15. Daniel Suarez

16. Denny Hamlin

17. Jamie McMurray

18. David Ragan

19. Matt Kenseth

20. William Byron

21. Ryan Newman

22. Austin Dillon

23. Chris Buescher

24. Michael McDowell

25. Kasey Kahne

26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

27. Darrell Wallace Jr.

28. Ross Chastain

29. Ty Dillon

30. AJ Allmendinger

31. Corey LaJoie

32. BJ McLeod

33. Landon Cassill

34. Timmy Hill

35. Jesse Little

36. Garrett Smithley

37. Matt DiBenedetto

38. JJ Yeley

39. Alex Bowman

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Erik Jones Survives Wild Daytona Race for First Cup Win

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Erik Jones won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night from Daytona International Speedway.

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Jones survived a wild race where multiple wrecks took out half the field.  Jones was involved in the first big accident, but his team was able to repair the car and get Jones back to the front. 

Jones said he didn’t think his car would be able to compete following the early damage.

“I thought we were out of it and then we were right back in it,” Jones said.  “I didn’t think we were going to have a shot to win it there at about halfway, but we got ourselves back into contention.”

The victory was Jones’ first in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and he said he never thought it would be at a superspeedway like Daytona.

“I’ve never been that good on superspeedways and never really thought this our shot to win,” Jones said.  “It’s the first win, and not much has felt better than this one.”

Martin Truex Jr. was leading on the final restart, but he couldn’t hold off Jones over the final two laps. 

Truex said he just wasn’t able to block Jones’ run in time.

“I just got to get better at the blocking; it’s never been my strong suit,” Truex said.  “It was a good run, but we came up a little short.”

“They destroyed some cars tonight…cool to get to the end.”

Unofficial results:

1. Erik Jones

2. Martin Truex Jr.

3. AJ Allmendinger

4. Kasey Kahne

5. Chris Buescher

6. Ty Dillon

7. Matt DiBenedetto

8. Ryan Newman

9. Austin Dillon

10. Alex Bowman

11. Jeffrey Earnhardt

12. Brendan Gaughan

13. DJ Kennington

14. Darrell Wallace Jr.

15. David Ragan

16. Ray Black Jr.

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

18. JJ Yeley

19. Kevin Harvick

20. Trevor Bayne

21. Ross Chastain

22. Clint Bowyer

23. Jimmie Johnson

24. Landon Cassill

25. Joey Gase

26. Michael McDowell

27. Aric Almirola

28. Paul Menard

29. Kyle Larson

30. Jamie McMurray

31. Corey LaJoie

32. William Byron

33. Kyle Busch

34. Chase Elliott

35. Daniel Suarez

36. Brad Keselowski

37. Kurt Busch

38. Denny Hamlin

39. Joey Logano

40. Ryan Blaney

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Busch Beats Larson in Thrilling Finish at Chicago

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch held off Kyle Larson to win the Overton’s 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Busch led 59 laps on Sunday, but he had to hold off Larson over the final run.  With Larson closing in the final laps, Busch had to change his racing line to try to hold up Larson’s momentum.

On the final lap, Larson dove below Busch and both drivers made contact.  In the final corner, Busch bumped Larson and sent him spinning, while Busch was able to drive to victory.

Busch said it was just hard racing between two fast cars.

“Larson tried to pull a slide and didn’t quite complete it,” Busch said.  “He slid up into me and used me, and then I kind of used him as a little bit of a brake getting into Turn 3 and I was able to come back for the victory.”

“When you start banging doors on each other, that’s what it turns the race into and it’s fair game after that.”

Busch struggled with his handling early in the race, but he said the car came to him when he got into clean air while leading.

“This thing was horrible today,” Busch said.  “We just never gave up…just kept working on it and making the most of it.”

“Got it to where we needed it at the end.”

Larson slid through Turns 3 and 4, but was able to save the car to finish second.  Larson said he wasn’t upset with Busch following their contact.

“I’m not upset…I tried to get to his door and I opened the door for him to retaliate into 3,” Larson said.  “I thought it was free game; I got into him first.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Erik Jones

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Joey Logano

9. Brad Keselowski

10. Alex Bowman

11. Daniel Suarez

12. Jamie McMurray

13. Paul Menard

14. Jimmie Johnson

15. Ryan Newman

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. Kurt Busch

18. Ryan Blaney

19. Chase Elliott

20. William Byron

21. Michael McDowell

22. Chris Buescher

23. Darrell Wallace Jr.

24. AJ Allmendinger

25. Aric Almirola

26. Trevor Bayne

27. Kasey Kahne

28. Ty Dillon

29. Matt DiBenedetto

30. Ross Chastain

31. Gray Gaulding

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Kyle Weatherman

34. Corey LaJoie

35. BJ McLeod

36. Landon Cassill

37. Austin Dillon

38. David Ragan

39. Timmy Hill

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images