Pennzoil 400: Live NASCAR highlights, updates from Las Vegas

Take a look at all the action from Las Vegas Motor Speedway as we bring you live highlights, updates and stage results from the Pennzoil 400.

The glitz and glamour of Las Vegas is always a fun backdrop for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but the reality of the racing here is that it tends to set the table for a lot of what we’ll see going forward. Several drivers were hoping that was the case headed into the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Austin Dillon and Kevin Harvick struck first with victories in the first two races of 2018, but Vegas held the promise that a handful of fast drivers could stake their claims to intermediate track supremacy. Ryan Blaney was one of them, winning his third career pole. Kyle Larson was another, running down anyone necessary en route to an XFINITY Series win on Saturday.

You also can’t count out Martin Truex Jr., defending Cup Series champion and 2017 winner of this very race. And with Jimmie Johnson mired in the longest winless streak of his career, he saw the deck stacked against him (gambling pun somewhat intended) as he tried to snap it by coming from the rear of the field.

Who was able to avoid crapping out and finding the right mix of skill and luck to make it to Victory Lane? Let’s find out.

2018 Pennzoil 400 highlights from Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Blaney led the first lap after getting off to a good start when the green flag dropped, but it didn’t take long for that guy Harvick to catch and pass him.

Harvick led every lap once he assumed the lead until green flag pit stops began, at which point Michael McDowell got to lead a few laps by staying out. In his pit, Harvick just barely escaped getting run into by Bubba Wallace, who nearly skidded into him on his way out.

The remainder of Stage 1 finished without incident, with Harvick easily resuming the lead. Truex began to reel him in just a tad as the laps ran down, but the 4 still crossed the line several seconds ahead to give that team another stage win and bonus playoff point.

Stage 1 results

1. Kevin Harvick, 10 points, 1 bonus playoff point
2. Martin Truex Jr., 9 points
3. Kyle Larson, 8 points
4. Ryan Blaney, 7 points
5. Joey Logano, 6 points
6. Brad Keselowski, 5 points
7. Kurt Busch, 4 points
8. Chase Elliott, 3 points
9. Kyle Busch, 2 points
10. Paul Menard, 1 point

Harvick pulled out of the pits with his lead intact, but Truex wasn’t so lucky, losing several spots while undergoing service.

Joey Logano was one of a few drivers to try a different pit strategy during Stage 2, and getting new tires before most everyone else paid off, putting him into the top 5. It still didn’t help him or anyone else catch Harvick, who continued to add to his series-leading total of laps led.

Larson began closing the gap somewhat toward the end of the stage, moving up to third, but Harvick was never challenged and put another stage win in the bank.

Stage 2 results

1. Kevin Harvick – 10 points and one bonus playoff point
2. Ryan Blaney – 9 points
3. Kyle Larson – 8 points
4. Joey Logano – 7 points
5. Kyle Busch – 6 points
6. Brad Keselowski – 5 points
7. Martin Truex Jr. – 4 points
8. Kurt Busch – 3 points
9. Chase Elliott – 2 points
10. Paul Menard – 1 point

Drivers finally figured out a way to get in front of Harvick by beating him out of the pits. Logano took advantage of a quick stop and finally got to lead some laps under caution.

You got the feeling that eventually we would get a caution for contact of some sort, and it arrived before the final stage got too far along. Jamie McMurray blew a right-side tire and smacked into the wall, bringing all the leaders down pit road for more tires.

Truex assumed the lead by staying out, taking a chance with tires that had 10 more laps of green flag racing on them. Logano restarted second after a two-tire stop.

Alas, truex’s decision turned into a bad one, with him backing up quickly on the restart. Behind him, things got really bad for Chase Elliott, who saw Kurt Busch come up the track suddenly and end the race for both of them.

Someone was going to have to do something different to try to beat Harvick, and that someone was Brad Keselowski. He made his green flag pit stop very early, grabbing fresher tires and hoping things fell his way down the stretch.

The drama in the late stages was whether Kyle Busch, who moved his way up to second, could run down Harvick. He was down below three seconds behind with 13 laps to go. The gap grew to more than 3.5 seconds with five to go, however.

In the end, no one could catch Harvick or really even come close. That’s been the story two weeks in a row, throwing down an early season gauntlet to everyone else in the Cup Series garage.