Fansided

Truex Jr. claims both Kobalt 400 stage wins in Las Vegas

By Nick Tylwalk

Mar 5, 2017; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) takes turn four during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) takes turn four during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Stages were a thing in Las Vegas for the first time, and several drivers took full advantage of them to pick up a few extra points.

Kevin Harvick has shown the value of picking up as many points as possible from the stages in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, the main reason he came into Las Vegas as the points leader. He blew a tire and crashed out of the Kobalt 400 early, but other drivers followed his blueprint and helped themselves out quite a bit.

Martin Truex Jr. was foremost among them, claiming Stage 1 by zooming away from the field following a restart with five laps to go. That scramble also saw some different pit strategies attempted; taking no tires didn’t work for Joey Logano but did pay off for Jamie McMurray, who took two tires and ended up sixth in the stage.

Stage 2 saw both Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch stay out on old tires, attempting to hold off all kinds of fast cars behind them on four fresh Goodyears. Even with only four laps before the green and white checkered flag, Busch was unable to hold onto a top-10 spot, though Johnson — off to a rough start to his 2017 season — at least managed to grab a point.

Related Story: What are the stage lengths for the NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas?

Truex is attempting to be the first driver under the new NASCAR Cup Series points system to have a perfect day: 60 points for winning the race and both stages. Eight drivers managed to earn at least one point in each stage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott.

2017 Kobalt 400 Stage 1 results

  1. Martin Truex Jr., 10 points, one playoff point
  2. Kyle Larson, 9 points
  3. Ryan Blaney, 8 points
  4. Brad Keselowski, 7 points
  5. Chase Elliott, 6 points
  6. Jamie McMurray, 5 points
  7. Jimmie Johnson, 4 points
  8. Kyle Busch, 3 points
  9. Matt Kenseth, 2 points
  10. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1 point

2017 Kobalt 400 Stage 2 results

  1. Martin Truex Jr., 10 points, one playoff point
  2. Brad Keselowski, 9 points
  3. Kyle Larson, 8 points
  4. Chase Elliott, 7 points
  5. Joey Logano, 6 points
  6. Ryan Blaney, 5 points
  7. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 4 points
  8. Jamie McMurray, 3 points
  9. Ryan Newman, 1 point
  10. Jimmie Johnson, 1 point
Home/NASCAR