Kevin Harvick is called the closer for a reason. On the final lap of stage three, Harvick got around Daniel Suarez to take a lead in the NASCAR All-Star Race. From then on, through a 10-lap shootout that included an overtime, Harvick would hold the lead.
Kevin Harvick wins All-Star Race
The victory is the 50th all time for Stewart-Haas Racing and Harvick’s sixth of the year. Though it won’t count towards his playoff points, it will still hold a big place with Harvick.
“This is just unbelievable,” Harvick said.
Before the All-Star Race would start, fans got a glimpse of the new aero-package in The Open, which allows three drivers to qualify at the last minute for the All-Star Race, along with the Fan Vote winner.
Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, and A.J. Allmendinger would win the three stages of the Open, while Chase Elliott earned a third-straight Fan Vote to qualify.
“I wish I didn’t have to rely on this,” Elliott said before the race started.
In the first stage, A.J. Allmendinger was the big story. After a caution was brought out by Kurt Busch, he restarted in the 14th position. After just a few laps, Allmendinger worked his way up to the top five, and at one point ran in third before finishing the first stage in fourth. Allmendinger had a great car all night, but his good fortunes would soon be brought to an end as he scraped the wall in stage three. He would rally to finish eighth.
The race stayed caution three until an overtime shootout in the third stage saw many big names, including Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch, all taken out of contention. Harvick took the lead at the end of stage three, and would hold on to it throughout overtime to earn the win.
2018 NASCAR All-Star Race Results:
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Daniel Suarez
3. Joey Logano
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Chase Elliott
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Kyle Larson
8. A.J. Allmendinger
9. Kyle Busch
10. Kasey Kahne
11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12. Austin Dillon
13. Jamie McMurray
14. Matt Kenseth
15. Ryan Blaney
16. Ryan Newman
17. Martin Truex Jr.
18. Kurt Busch
19. Clint Bowyer
20. Brad Keselowski
21. Alex Bowman
MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images
