NASCAR Michigan recap, finishing order: Kevin Harvick reasserts himself, sweeps all 3 stages
By Nick Tylwalk
Kevin Harvick has been to Victory Lane repeatedly this season, and he had few challengers before taking another trip there at Michigan.
Chase Elliott provided NASCAR fans with a great story and a little change from the norm last week at Watkins Glen. Sunday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick made sure everyone remembered who set up the status quo in the first place.
After winning both of the first two stages of the Consumers Energy 400, Harvick easily held off Austin Dillon and the rest of the field to win his seventh NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. The win helped him pass Kyle Busch for 2018 wins and tied him with Bill Elliott for career top series wins with 44.
“The most important thing is winning races right now and getting all the points you can get to try to get to Homestead,” Harvick said in his NBC Sports interview after taking a victory lap with his young son, Keelan. “That’s been our goal all year.”
Harvick has had dominant moments dotted throughout the year, but few as clear as this August Sunday in Michigan. Even his Big 3 rivals had nothing for him, with Kyle Busch briefly finding his way to the front but unable to run with him when it mattered most. Martin Truex Jr. and his 78 team fared even worse, making a rare miscalculation and running out of gas late in Stage 2. That caused him to come in for fuel while pit road was closed, effectively taking him out of contention.
That left an unlikely figure as a potential challenger late. Austin Dillon, who has been mostly a non-factor since winning the Daytona 500 in February, ran second late in the final stage and even led a few laps during a round of green flag pit stops. He was no match for Harvick but ran around in second in the closing laps until a very late issue caused him to drop to fourth.
“We had a fast car,” Dillon said in his TV interview. “I got in a battle there with Harvick there, that was awesome. So proud of the guys for being able to do that.”
Next. NASCAR at Michigan: Consumers Energy 400 highlights, stage results. dark
If Michigan was a test of pure speed, Harvick and his No. 4 team passed with flying colors. It may not have been a defining win, but it was a message to even the other two members of the Big 3 that capturing the title this year will mean finding a way to outduel Harvick when it matters most.
2018 Consumers Energy 400 finishing order at Michigan International Speedway
- Kevin Harvick (also Stage 1, 2 winner)
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Busch
- Austin Dillon
- Ryan Blaney
- Kurt Busch
- Aric Almirola
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Elliott
- Joey Logano
- Daniel Suarez
- Clint Bowyer
- Erik Jones
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Kyle Larson
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Alex Bowman
- Chris Buescher
- Alex Bowman
- AJ Allmendinger
- Bubba Wallace
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Michael McDowell
- Kasey Kahne
- David Ragan
- Jimmie Johnson
- Landon Cassill
- Blake Jones
- BJ McLeod
- Garrett Smithley
- Gray Gaulding
- Trevor Bayne
- Ross Chastain
- William Byron
- Timmy Hill
- Ty Dillon
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Corey LaJoie