Brad Keselowski won the South Point 400 on Sunday, his third victory this season, but there are other implications from the race as well. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
1. What has gotten into Brad Keselowski?
It was impressive enough when Brad Keselowski won his first race of the season two weeks ago at Darlington –his team was perfect on pit road, and they gave him enough of a margin to pull away on a restart.
Then it was even more incredible when he won last week at Indy, which he also had never done before.
But to now have won three straight races, without ever having the best car? Keselowski is undoubtedly NASCAR’s hottest driver right now, and while the momentum will eventually cede, it’s a dang sight to behold for the time being.
2. We’ve had the Big 3… Should it be the Big 4 now?
There were rumblings about this on social media after the race, and for good reason. Keselowski’s third win now separates him from Clint Bowyer and his two, and it’s only natural given NASCAR’s playoff format to want to group him in with the Big 3 of Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick.
If Keselowski wins another, does that put him on the same par with Truex and his four victories?
We’re not quite at that point yet, as Keselowski’s one three-race stretch shouldn’t outweigh an entire season of success for Truex, but he has absolutely separated himself from the pack and should be considered the favorite for that fourth championship spot at Homestead in November.
3. Wrecks ruin a few playoff debuts.
Not the start to the postseason that Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, or a number of other playoff drivers were hoping for.
Given the elimination format of NASCAR’s new playoff system, a single-car crash like Erik Jones had, for example, can be enough to spiral someone down the playoff rankings.
One race isn’t going to torpedo anyone, especially not someone like Harvick, but it absolutely makes the next two races more of an uphill climb. That, and if we’re in the business of talking about momentum, a DNF in the playoff opener is about the last thing you want to have happen.
The full race results, from the Associated Press:
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway
|
St |
Driver |
Car |
Laps |
* |
||
|
1 |
13 |
Brad Keselowski |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
2 |
11 |
Kyle Larson |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
3 |
10 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
Toyota |
272 |
||
|
4 |
2 |
Joey Logano |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
5 |
6 |
Ryan Blaney |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
6 |
16 |
Aric Almirola |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
7 |
4 |
Kyle Busch |
Toyota |
272 |
||
|
8 |
19 |
Daniel Suarez |
Toyota |
272 |
||
|
9 |
22 |
Ryan Newman |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
10 |
20 |
Paul Menard |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
11 |
18 |
Austin Dillon |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
12 |
25 |
Regan Smith |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
13 |
23 |
Trevor Bayne |
Ford |
272 |
||
|
14 |
29 |
AJ Allmendinger |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
15 |
28 |
Chris Buescher |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
16 |
32 |
Corey LaJoie |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
17 |
36 |
JJ Yeley |
Toyota |
272 |
||
|
18 |
37 |
Landon Cassill |
Chevrolet |
272 |
||
|
19 |
9 |
Alex Bowman |
Chevrolet |
271 |
||
|
20 |
34 |
Ross Chastain |
Chevrolet |
271 |
||
|
21 |
8 |
Kurt Busch |
Ford |
271 |
||
|
22 |
17 |
Jimmie Johnson |
Chevrolet |
270 |
||
|
23 |
15 |
Clint Bowyer |
Ford |
270 |
||
|
24 |
26 |
Matt DiBenedetto |
Ford |
269 |
1 |
|
|
25 |
35 |
Jeffrey Earnhardt |
Toyota |
269 |
||
|
26 |
33 |
Kyle Weatherman |
Chevrolet |
269 |
||
|
27 |
27 |
David Ragan |
Ford |
268 |
||
|
28 |
38 |
BJ McLeod |
Ford |
268 |
||
|
29 |
24 |
Michael McDowell |
Ford |
265 |
2 |
|
|
30 |
14 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Ford |
251 |
2 |
|
|
31 |
40 |
Reed Sorenson |
Chevrolet |
246 |
||
|
32 |
3 |
Denny Hamlin |
Toyota |
245 |
2 |
|
|
33 |
39 |
Timmy Hill |
Toyota |
231 |
||
|
34 |
30 |
Ty Dillon |
Chevrolet |
218 |
2 |
|
|
35 |
12 |
Jamie McMurray |
Chevrolet |
211 |
2 |
|
|
36 |
7 |
Chase Elliott |
Chevrolet |
211 |
2 |
|
|
37 |
21 |
William Byron |
Chevrolet |
210 |
2 |
|
|
38 |
31 |
Bubba Wallace |
Chevrolet |
164 |
3 |
|
|
39 |
5 |
Kevin Harvick |
Ford |
147 |
2 |
|
|
40 |
1 |
Erik Jones |
Toyota |
147 |
2 |
Reason out: 1–DVP; 2–accident; 3–front hub
Average Speed of Race Winner: 111.849 mph.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 28 minutes, 15 seconds. Margin of Victory: 1.276 seconds.
Caution Flags: 12 for 59 laps.
Lead Changes: 23 among 9 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; J. Logano 1-33; K. Harvick 34-37; Kyle Busch 38; D. Hamlin 39; R. Smith 40-49; K. Harvick 50-59; M. Truex Jr. 60-112; B. Keselowski 113-124; M. Truex Jr. 125-150; B. Keselowski 151-161; J. McMurray 162-166; K. Larson 167-177; B. Keselowski 178-183; K. Larson 184; B. Keselowski 185-201; M. Truex Jr. 202-218; B. Keselowski 219-221; J. Logano 222-234; B. Keselowski 235-237; K. Larson 238-239; B. Keselowski 240; K. Larson 241-250; B. Keselowski 251-272.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. 3 times for 96 laps; B. Keselowski 8 times for 75 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 46 laps; K. Larson 4 times for 24 laps; K. Harvick 2 times for 14 laps; R. Smith 1 time for 10 laps; J. McMurray 1 time for 5 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 1 lap; Kyle Busch 1 time for 1 lap.
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