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SPORTS Tuesday 6 March 2018

Kevin Harvick dominates Vegas for back-to-back NASCAR wins

By GREG BEACHAM on Saturday, while defend-
LAS VEGAS (AP) — From his ing champion Martin Truex
dynamic opening laps to Jr. was in fourth and pole-
his comfortable cruise to sitter Ryan Blaney in fifth.
the checkered flag, Kevin Harvick has already
Harvick was the safest bet matched his Cup win total
in Sin City this weekend. from last season in three
Harvick's air of inevitability races — and he's headed
increased with each lap to Phoenix, where he has
around the Las Vegas Mo- won five times since 2012.
tor Speedway on Sunday, Harvick also took a moment
and the rest of the NASCAR to savor a milestone. Only
Cup field must be a bit wor- Richard Petty, Kyle Busch
ried about how they're go- and David Pearson have
ing to catch up this year. won more races across the
Harvick raced to his sec- three national circuits than
ond straight NASCAR Cup Harvick, the 42-year-old
win with a dominant per- Californian with plenty of
formance in Vegas on good years left on his tires.
Sunday, earning his 100th "It's been a lot of years ac-
career win across the three cumulated with a lot of
national series. great race teams and peo-
"There was no catching ple and situations," Harvick
that 4 (car)," second-place said. "When you tag that
finisher Kyle Busch said. "He triple-digit number to it, it
was on rails, and lights out." really lets you realize that
Harvick followed up his stel- you've been fortunate to Kevin Harvick performs a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup series auto race Sunday, March
lar performance last week- accomplish a lot of things." 4, 2018, in Las Vegas.
end in Atlanta with another Not many wins are more Associated Press
victory in his Stewart-Haas emphatic than Harvick's
Racing Ford. He led a track- 100th. ing to Vegas in the fall for caution for fluid cleanup. failed inspection three
record 214 of the 267 laps, Harvick led 144 of the first a second race, which will The 39-year-old Busch has times during the pre-race
won all three stages and 160 laps and comfortably also be the playoff opener. never won at Las Vegas checks. Johnson had to
capably held off Busch's won the first two stages. Teams used this trip to gath- Motor Speedway, which start at the back after his
late hometown charge to He was fourth out of the er data and information for was built while he grew up chief, Jesse Saunders, got
win in Vegas for the second end-of-stage caution after the return trip in September, in town. Kurt Busch failed to the gate. Johnson also will
time in four years. Stage 2, with Joey Logano although the temperature win the Cup race in Vegas have practice time taken
"These last two weeks, getting in front with an ex- could easily be 50 degrees for the 17th time. He has away next week in Phoenix.
we've just hit on everything ceptional pit stop. higher than the balmy 53 started on the pole twice, The seven-time champion
we needed to," said Har- But Harvick reclaimed the degrees at Sunday's race. but has only one top-five still rallied to finish 12th.
vick, who cruised home 2.9 lead off another restart "The adjustments we made finish here despite calling it COMEBACK STORY: Josh
seconds ahead of Busch. with 73 laps to go after today are going to help in a top priority in his career. Frankos, the tire-changer
"My (team has) done their Kurt Busch wrecked along the fall," Kyle Busch said. WINNING BIG: Harvick was on Darrell Wallace Jr.'s
homework on a number of with Chase Elliott. Harvick "(Although) I think the track even more dominant in Richard Petty Motorsports
things. Just really proud of emerged from his last pit is going to be a lot slower Vegas than Truex was last team, injured his hand
everybody." stop with a three-second with the heat." year. Truex led all three while preparing for the Ve-
Busch got close to his sec- lead on Brad Keselowski, KUBU CAN'T DO: Kurt stages and 150 laps last gas race and was sent to a
ond career victory in his and Busch couldn't catch Busch's career-long victory year on his way to a victory hospital on Sunday morn-
hometown with his Joe up. drought in his hometown that propelled him into his ing. Michael Hubert filled
Gibbs Racing Toyota, but Here are more things to continues. Busch lost con- championship season. in for him on pit road. The
couldn't overcome the know about the race on trol and ran Elliott into the THREE STRIKES: The car injury couldn't keep Frankos
dominant leader. Kyle Lar- the Strip: wall shortly after a restart chiefs for Jimmie Johnson down, however: He re-
son finished third after win- DOING RECON: For the early in the final stage. The and Ross Chastain were turned to the track for the
ning the Xfinity Series race first time, NASCAR is return- crash necessitated a long ejected after their cars race.q