New cars for Toyota and Chevrolet had a lot of people thinking the “old” Fords might be in a bit of trouble to start the 2018 NASCAR Monster Energy Series. Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are shooting holes in that theory. For the second consecutive week, Harvick had the field covered from the get go.
Kevin Harvick Dominates for the Second Week in a Row
Harvick’s victory was the 100th of his career. Harvick once again loaded off his hauler as the class of field. Harvick mentioned during the week that method in which the cars are now being inspected may have an impact on their performance. Earlier in the week, Harvick mentioned the new OSS system has evened the field somewhat and put more of the emphasis on the driver.
For Harvick the race statistics told the true story of his domination. Harvick led an incredible 214 laps and there really was never any doubt about this one. The 214 laps led set a Las Vegas Motor Speedway track record.
Harvick Dominates
Harvick is just the fourth driver in NASCAR Series national history to win 100 or more combined national series wins. He joins Richard Petty, Kyle Busch and David Pearson as reaching the century mark in victories.
Speaking about his milestone 100th victory, Harvick said, “It’s been fun for me. The last five years have been the most fun for me the last five years since I came over to Stewart-Haas.”
The Competition
Kyle Busch finished well behind Harvick in second place. The #42 Credit One Chevy driven by Kyle Larson finished third followed by the 2017 Champion, Martin Truex Jr. and the Penske Ford driven by Ryan Blaney.
Runner up and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch who finished second said, “The 4 team was just so far out there that no one had anything for them.”
After three races Harvick sits atop the NASCAR point standing. Joey Logano trails Harvick by three points and Ryan Blaney sits in third, four points behind points leader.
Team owner Tony Stewart said, “I’m really proud of Kevin and Rodney (Childers). They’ve worked hard at the shop and its paid off.”
Harvick’s Crew Chief, Rodney Childers said, “I thought we’d run good in Atlanta because of Kevin. I thought this race would be a better measurement of where we are.”
“There’s a lot of things to work on. The sky is the limit,” Harvick told the media gathering post race.
The good news for Harvick’s competition? The series moves on to Phoenix next week.
The bad news for Harvick’s competition? He’s very strong at Phoenix International Raceway.
Read the Race Report here: https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsports/2018/03/04/kevin-harvick-wi…0-second-win-row/
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