Keselowski Wins Regular-Season Finale at the Brickyard

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Brad Keselowski picked up his second-straight victory on Monday afternoon after winning the rain-delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

After winning last weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington, Keselowski used a late-race pass of Denny Hamlin to pick up his second victory in a NASCAR major event.

Keselowski said his crew chief made the call to get him into victory lane.

“I’ve got to give credit where credit is due; Paul Wolfe made a heck of a call to pit,” Keselowski said.  “He gave me the ball and I had to make a play.”

The victory was the first for team owner Roger Penske in the Monster Energy Cup Series at Indianapolis.  Penske has 17 Indianapolis victories in IndyCar, but was winless in NASCAR’s top series until Monday.

Keselowski said it was special to get “the Captain” his first Brickyard NASCAR Cup Series victory.

“To get Roger Penske his first Cup car win here at the Brickyard is an incredible feeling,” Keselowski said.

Monday’s race was the final of the regular season, with NASCAR’s 10-race playoff beginning next Sunday in Las Vegas.

Kyle Busch won the regular season championship, and said he was looking forward to using his playoff points to get to the season finale in Homestead.

“The bonus points mean a lot; the hardware means a lot,” Busch said.  “They give away a trophy for a regular season championship…but more importantly we want to go after the end of the season championship and take home that bigger trophy.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Erik Jones

3. Denny Hamlin

4. Kevin Harvick

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Kurt Busch

7. Jamie McMurray

8. Kyle Busch

9. Paul Menard

10. Ryan Newman

11. Ryan Blaney

12. Matt Kenseth

13. Joey Logano

14. Kyle Larson

15. Chase Elliott

16. Jimmie Johnson

17. Michael McDowell

18. Daniel Suarez

19. William Byron

20. Regan Smith

21. Ty Dillon

22. Austin Dillon

23. Aric Almirola

24. David Ragan

25. Chris Buescher

26. Ross Chastain

27. Corey LaJoie

28. Reed Sorenson

29. JJ Yeley

30. BJ McLeod

31. Landon Cassill

32. Jeffrey Earnhardt

33. Alex Bowman

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

35. Timmy Hill

36. Matt DiBenedetto

37. AJ Allmendinger

38. Darrell Wallace Jr.

39. David Starr

40. Martin Truex Jr.

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Keselowski Wins the Southern 500

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Brad Keselowski won the Bojangles’ Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway on Sunday night.

Keselowski snapped a 25-race winless streak and locked himself into the Playoffs with the victory.

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Keselowski was running second late in the race, but his pit crew gave him the lead following the final caution.  He was able to pull away from Joey Logano and Kyle Larson over the final 20-lap run and head to victory lane.

Keselowski said it was a testament to his team for getting him out front when it counted.

“The 42 [of Larson] was really strong; probably whoever came off pit road first was going to win the race, but my team nailed the last pit stop,” Keselowski said.  “We probably didn’t have the long-run speed we needed, but on short runs it was great.  We were there when it counted.”

After winning one of NASCAR’s Crown Jewel events, Keselowski said the win was the biggest of his career.

“The Southern 500 has always been a major…this has got to be the biggest,” Keselowski said.  “I didn’t know coming into today if we were going to be fast enough to win; as soon as they dropped the green I knew this thing was good.”

Larson dominated most of the evening and led a race-high 284 laps, but he settled for a third-place finish.  After losing the lead before the final restart, Larson said the handling on his car went away.

“All day, whenever I’d get in traffic, I’d get loose…and I was just really loose behind Keselowski,” Larson said.  “It’s always important to come off the leader on pit road so you can be the control car on the restart.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Joey Logano

3. Kyle Larson

4. Kevin Harvick

5. Chase Elliott

6. Kurt Busch

7. Kyle Busch

8. Erik Jones

9. Jamie McMurray

10. Denny Hamlin

11. Martin Truex Jr.

12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

13. Chris Buescher

14. Aric Almirola

15. Ryan Blaney

16. Austin Dillon

17. Paul Menard

18. David Ragan

19. Ryan Newman

20. Michael McDowell

21. Ty Dillon

22. AJ Allmendinger

23. Alex Bowman

24. Kasey Kahne

25. Matt Kenseth

26. Darrell Wallace Jr.

27. Corey LaJoie

28. Ross Chastain

29. Daniel Suarez

30. Landon Cassill

31. JJ Yeley

32. BJ McLeod

33. Derrike Cope

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt

35. William Byron

36. Clint Bowyer

37. Timmy Hill

38. Matt DiBenedetto

39. Jimmie Johnson

40. Joey Gase

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Busch Snaps Winless Streak with Bristol Victory

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kurt Busch won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Busch snapped a 58-race winless streak with the victory and locked himself into the Playoffs.

After taking the lead away from his teammate Clint Bowyer on a late restart, Busch held off Kyle Larson over the final run to pick up his sixth victory at Bristol.

Busch said he was excited to win on a night when the cars were hard to handle.

“This one’s one of the sweetest because you have to work the hardest right now,” Busch said.  “The cars are right there on edge and you’ve got to work every single lap.”

Busch was one of many drivers that had damage from an accident on the third lap, but he said the damage to his car wasn’t as bad as some others.

“All this damage, and I was like, ‘it’s not that bad, we’re going to be okay,’” Busch said.  “Just so proud of the team effort.”

Larson finished second after starting on the pole and struggling with his car’s handling through the night. 

Larson said his finish was better than what they should have had.

“Our Chevy wasn’t very good from lap 1 to 500, but we got a second place finish out of it,” Larson said.  “We were probably a 12th to 15th place car.”

“I think if I had a better car, tires probably would have showed what they’re really capable of.  Just a really frustrating day.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kurt Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Chase Elliott

4. Joey Logano

5. Erik Jones

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Ryan Blaney

8. Alex Bowman

9. Jimmie Johnson

10. Kevin Harvick

11. Trevor Bayne

12. Ryan Newman

13. Austin Dillon

14. Denny Hamlin

15. Kasey Kahne

16. Brad Keselowski

17. David Ragan

18. Daniel Suarez

19. Chris Buescher

20. Kyle Busch

21. Ty Dillon

22. Matt DiBenedetto

23. William Byron

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

25. Landon Cassill

26. Ross Chastain

27. Blake Jones

28. Timmy Hill

29. Jamie McMurray

30. Martin Truex Jr.

31. Aric Almirola

32. JJ Yeley

33. Reed Sorenson

34. Corey LaJoie

35. Jesse Little

36. Paul Menard

37. Michael McDowell

38. Darrell Wallace Jr.

39. AJ Allmendinger

40. Gray Gaulding

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

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.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

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