HARVICK WINS AAA TEXAS 500

Harvick passes Truex Jr. late to win

Austin Travis, Sports Editor|November 6, 2017

Austin Travis

Harvick crossing the start/finish line to win at Texas with Truex Jr. behind him

Kevin Harvick won Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 to punch his ticket to the championship round of the playoffs in two weeks at Homestead.  Harvick passed Truex with 10 laps to go on a move to the outside to win the race.  Harvick pulled away and won by 1.580 seconds.  Harvick led 38 laps out of the 334, including the final 10.  “Damn, it’s good to be in victory lane here at Texas,” Harvick said.  “I knew I had a really good car.  I knew I had to do something different.  I started driving a whole lot deeper into (turn) 1, a whole lot deeper.”  It was Harvick’s 1st Texas win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and 37th win of his career.   Truex Jr. also punched his ticket to the championship round of the playoffs on points.  When asked about Harvick’s move, he said, “He got to my outside and was just faster at the end.  Once he got in front of us, he was just gone. Nothing I could do. Just one of those deals where he was quicker. Got me in a bad spot, took advantage, and he was gone.”

Matt Kenseth announced this weekend that he was stepping away from NASCAR in 2018, as Erik Jones will drive the #20 in 2018.  “I’m just going to take some time off, whatever that means, take a year, two…..or three months, four months,” Kenseth said.  “You never really know what happens.  Something could come up that makes me excited and looks like a fit and I’m not going to rule that out.”  Kenseth won the championship in 2003 despite only winning one race, and won the Daytona 500 in 2009 and 2012.  Kenseth also won the Coca-Cola 600 as a rookie in 2000.

Here are the current MENCS Playoff Standings

Driver                                          Pts

  1. Kevin Harvick                   ADVANCED
  2. Kyle Busch                       ADVANCED
  3. Martin Truex Jr.                ADVANCED
  4. Brad Keselowski              +19

_________________________ CUTOFF

  1.  Denny Hamlin                  -19
  2.  Ryan Blaney                    -22
  3.  Chase Elliott                    -49
  4.  Jimmie Johnson              -51

Written on November 6, 2017

Credit to:

www.nascar.com