Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Monday 6 March 2017

Keselowski steals Atlanta win after Harvick caught speeding

PAUL NEWBERRY caution period after Gray Cody Ware made his first
AP Sports Writer Gaulding blew an engine career start in the Cup se-
HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Kev- 62 laps from the end. ries.It was a tough day for
in Harvick ruined a domi- That one didn’t hurt. the 21-year-old driver.
nating performance by Keselowski grabbed the The No. 51 Chevrolet en-
going too fast on pit road lead, only to get word that tered by non-chartered
Sunday, allowing Brad Ke- his crew had not properly team Rick Ware Racing
selowski to steal a NASCAR attached some of the tire ran just 74 laps because
Monster Energy Cup victo- lug nuts during his own pit of a steering problem and
ry at Atlanta Motor Speed- stop. wound up last in the 39-car
way. He had to come back in field.
Harvick seemed poised to for a second stop, knock- At the other end of the age
win at the 1.54-mile trioval ing him from the lead to spectrum was 58-year-old
for the first time since his ini- 14th place on the restart. Derrike Cope, the 1990
tial Cup victory in 2001, just Keselowski never gave up, Daytona 500 winner mak-
three races after he got working his way back to- ing his first Cup appear-
his chance following the ward the front. ance since 2009.
death of Dale Earnhardt. He was poised to take Like Ware, Cope didn’t
Harvick led the first two advantage when Harvick have the funding to run
stages under NASCAR’s blundered again. a competitive car but at
new format and was out “Kevin was very, very least made it all the way to
front for a staggering 293 strong. He was the guy to the end.
out of 325 laps overall. But, beat,” Keselowski said af- He finished 27 laps down in
after a yellow flag came ter his 22nd career Cup vic- 36th.
out when Austin Dillon lost tory. “But we persevered.” PAINT JOB: Reed Soren-
power, the No. 4 Stewart- JIMMIE’S WOES: Johnson, son’s car was painted
Haas Racing Ford eclipsed the seven-time Cup cham- black when it arrived in At-
the 45 mph speed limit go- pion, was trying to become lanta.
ing into the pits for his final the first driver to win the At- When it pulled onto the
stop. lanta race three years in a track Sunday, it was bright
The ensuing drive-thru pen- row. yellow.
alty pushed Kyle Larson to His hopes were ruined by Premium Motorsports re-
the lead but he couldn’t Brad Keselowski celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NAS- not one, but two speeding painted the No. 15 car
hold off Keselowski, who CAR Monster Cup series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway penalties on pit road. overnight after picking up
surged ahead on the in Hampton, Ga., Sunday, March 5, 2017. Johnson wound up a lap The Maid’s, a nationally
backstretch with six laps Associated Press down in 18th place. franchised maid service, as
to go and held on for a A DEBUT AND A RETURN: a last-minute sponsor.q
0.564-second victory. The speeding penalty on ing it,” Harvick told his crew
This one was all about pit road — an issue that over the radio. “I’m so sorry
Harvick, who was looking plagued a bunch of driv- guys.”
to give Stewart-Haas its ers, including two-time de- He should be used to this
second straight victory to fending race winner Jim- sort of bitter disappoint-
start the season after Kurt mie Johnson — knocked ment in Atlanta.
Busch’s won the Daytona Harvick to the end of the Harvick led more laps than
500. lead pack with 11 laps re- anyone each of the last
Harvick clearly had the maining. three years, a total of 442
fastest car all weekend, That wasn’t enough time in all, but was never ahead
starting from the pole and to make up for his mistake, when it mattered.
easily taking the first two forcing him to settle for a On Sunday, it happened
85-lap stages. ninth-place showing that again.Harvick made only
Then, when the victory was should’ve been so much one other mistake all day,
in his grasp, he led it slip better. spinning his tires coming
away by going too fast. “I didn’t think I was push- out of the pits during a