With his latest triumph, Harvick becomes the first driver since Joey Logano during the 2015 playoffs to win three straight races and now looks to become the first since Jimmie Johnson in the 2007 playoffs to win four consecutive.
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“I’ve been mad as all get-out”, Harvick said on Fox after winning Sunday.
“Everybody was just determined this week”. “Vegas was one of those things where we all thought, ‘Wow, maybe it wasn’t just Atlanta.’ Phoenix has always been a good track for him as well”.
“We’ve been fast here the last few years, so it would be nice to close out the weekend with a win”, Larson said. Harvick had swept both stages and won the Las Vegas race to earn seven playoff points.
Harvick was enjoying a take-that kind of moment, the sort that people who feel like they’ve been wronged enjoy, like a cold drink on a hot summer day. “To me, it’s important to know who is building the race vehicle”. “I think we are in good shape so far, but I do think that he is a solid step in front of everybody right now”. Our (final) pit stop wasn’t stellar. Busch would also get by Elliott to finish 2nd.
“It was solid”, Elliott said. I thought we would have had a good fight. “The goal here is to try to expose other drivers who just need a break”.
He only led 38 laps, but most importantly. he got the win.
“I could tell that myself and Kyle and Denny were going to be the top three”, said Bakersfield native Harvick. “We gave it our best effort today”.
Larson passed Martin Truex Jr. on the first lap, lost the top spot to Truex on the first pit stop, and jumped ahead again off the restart. He has won a record eight times on the one-mile track.
Busch stayed on the track while the leaders pitted after Chris Buescher hit the wall on Lap 146.
Four laps later, Harvick also found room to pass, making it Busch and Harvick running first and second. Harvick leaves Arizona with a 12-point lead over Busch in the championship standings.
With 120 to go, Paul Menard spun and crashed and that sent the field to the pits. Justin Allgaier won last spring, and William Byron took the fall race. Harvick. But Kyle Busch was in hot pursuit.
A week later at Atlanta, Byron went a lap down to eventual race victor Kevin Harvick before a scheduled competition caution on Lap 30. “Getting the support of Denny Hamlin starting the wave of tremendous support and that led into it just spreading like wildfire”.
“We’re playing a little bit of a catch-up game to see where we needed improvements to get our stuff going better”, said Kyle Busch of his start to the season and Harvick’s fine form.
Harvick got around Chase Elliott – the first auto with four fresh tires after the pit stops – and took the lead with 22 laps left when Ryan Newman finally made his last stop on the sunny day after morning rain. With 72 laps to go, Kyle Busch moved past Harvick and into third.
Rossi tried to dive inside of Wickens entering the first turn when the two cars made contact and Wickens spun off the course. Sponsorless, the #32 vehicle was in risk of not racing, but his competitor drivers Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick both chipped in $5,000 of their own money to help. He didn’t qualify poorly but will start back in 10th when the green flag is dropped on Sunday.
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DiBenedetto went to Twitter, this week, asking his fans and followers if they could help sponsor his auto for this weekend. Harvick and Hamlin came in with 56 to go.
