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2017 Kobalt 400: 5 takeaways from NASCAR in Las Vegas

By Brittany Frederick

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 12: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, is escorted away by a NASCAR official after an incident on pit road with Joey Logano (not pictured), driver of the #22 Pennzoil Ford, following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Busch and Logano made contact on the track during the last lap of the race leading to the incident on pit road. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 12: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, is escorted away by a NASCAR official after an incident on pit road with Joey Logano (not pictured), driver of the #22 Pennzoil Ford, following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Busch and Logano made contact on the track during the last lap of the race leading to the incident on pit road. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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From Kyle Busch’s brawl to Martin Truex’s domination, here are the five things we took away from NASCAR’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

There was a fight and then a NASCAR race might have happened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, as Martin Truex Jr. ran away with the Kobalt 400 just before Kyle Busch had to be dragged away from Joey Logano’s pit crew.

From the fisticuffs to the positives of stage racing there was plenty for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fans to discuss once the smoke cleared in Sin City. We’re here to break it all down for you and hopefully not start any more arguments along the way.

If you missed any of Sunday’s race, you can get the details of what happened on the track with our results post here.

Here are our five takeaways from the Kobalt 400:

1) DO NOT BURN THE BUSCH

Kyle Busch appeared to have grown up a lot after his life-changing accident and his Cup Series championship. But Sunday proved that he still has one heck of a temper. Contact with Joey Logano caused Busch to spin out on the final lap of the Kobalt 400, and what would have been a top-5 finish became 22nd place (oh the numerical irony).

Now that’s something to understandably be upset about. However, Busch took it a step further when he came down to the No. 22 pit stall looking for Logano. He didn’t get Joey but he did get into a brawl with several of Logano’s crew members that resulted in a nasty cut on Busch’s forehead. Kyle Busch may be the nicest person in the world when you meet him in traffic after the race but do not engage him in traffic during the race.

2) Martin Truex Jr. is not cursed

NASCAR fans have all had a few good laughs about how terrible Martin Truex Jr.’s luck can get. It seems as if he’s either awesome or completely and thoroughly cursed. But Truex must have prayed to Jobu or something before the Kobalt 400 because he was absolutely blessed in Las Vegas.

Truex became the first driver to win all three stages of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event after qualifying second on Saturday. And now he’s fourth in points, but technically second when you consider he’s won a race. It’s the first time Truex has ever won at Las Vegas in a dozen tries and only the second time he’s ever finished in the top 5 on this track.

Hopefully, he went out and played some poker afterward because he’d probably run the table too.

3) But Kyle Larson might be

You’ve got to feel a little sympathy for Kyle Larson. After the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing driver got his first win in 2016 he’s come so close to notching number two in 2017 — and yet remains so far away.

Larson was the runner-up in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 400 at Atlanta and then came second for the second consecutive time in the Kobalt 400. Going back to last year, he’s finished in the number two spot five times. Maybe he should go rub Martin Truex Jr.’s head for good luck.

4) Joey Logano will have his revenge on Las Vegas

However you want to slice it, Joey Logano got his revenge on Sunday. Logano got his revenge on teammate Brad Keselowski for beating him in the 2016 edition of the Kobalt 400 by finishing fourth, just in front of Keselowski’s struggling vehicle.

He also showed up Kyle Busch because as mentioned above, Logano was not physically involved in the fight that broke out over his actions on the track. So not only did Logano win the on-track battle with Busch, he won the off-track one, too. When asked by a FOX TV reporter if any of the blows in the scuffle had hit him, Logano just grinned as he usually does and answered in the negative. Final score: Joey Logano 2, Keselowski and Busch 0.

5) Kevin Harvick is still unhappy

Kevin Harvick was throwing a fit after losing the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 400. He had every reason to, given that he was firmly in control of that race until NASCAR called him for a pit road speeding penalty. Everyone wondered if Harvick would be able to make up for the lost victory by showing well in Las Vegas.

The answer was a resounding no. His No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing entry hit the wall hard (you can see the in-car camera of the impact here) and he finished 38th out of 39 cars. If you see Kevin Harvick this week, buy him a drink because he certainly deserves one.

Next: NASCAR Cup Series standings after Las Vegas

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series continues its West Coast swing next Sunday, March 19 with the Camping World 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona. For the latest NASCAR news and updates, follow the NASCAR category at FanSided here.

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