Brad Keselowski stayed hot at a very hot day in Las Vegas, proving that his late season surge is no fluke.
Turns out momentum really does matter when it comes to the NASCAR Playoffs.
The South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a big question mark simply because there had never been a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series fall race before. Many fans might not suggest it in the future, given how how it was at the track, but their experiences paled in comparison to numerous playoff drivers — just not Brad Keselowski.
The Team Penske driver hadn’t won all season prior to Darlington, but he rode into the playoffs with victories at the Southern 500 and Brickyard 400 to his credit. On a day when enough misfortune found other playoff participants that it felt more like a race at Talladega than Las Vegas, Keselowski and his team executed again when it mattered most, locking them into the Round of 12 and earning a historic 500th victory for Roger Penske.
“We did it boss,” Keselowski said during his TV interview. “To start off the playoffs with a win, I mean, that’s really strong. That’s really a testament to this team here, I couldn’t have done it without them.
“Those restarts, that was the key.”
Indeed it was. Though Keselowski was never truly challenged over the last portion of the race, he still had to survive numerous challenges on restarts. Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Keselowski’s own teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, all were up toward the front as caution flags flew several times during the last 25 laps.
One even forced overtime, but Keselowski was able to rocket away from the field. While there was action behind him, with drivers vying for position inside the top 10, none got close to him as he brought the No. 2 Ford to the checkered flag.
The largely uneventful first two stages provided no hint as to the near total chaos that awaited toward the end of the race. Kevin Harvick and pole-sitter Erik Jones were the first two playoff participants to experience misfortune, crashing out and eliciting an anti-tire tirade from Harvick.
Despite a statement from NASCAR assuring that nothing was different about the tires and that teams had made risky air pressure adjustments to deal with the Las Vegas heat, they continued to be an ongoing theme in incidents throughout the final stage. Some, like the one that sent Denny Hamlin into the grass, ended the race for drivers, while others simply sent the likes of Jimmie Johnson to the pits at critical junctures.
The irony is that Las Vegas figured to be the calmest race in the first round of the NASCAR Playoffs, which still includes a short track showdown at Richmond and the first ever Charlotte ROVAL visit. A war of attrition ended up playing right into the clutches of the driver who’s been getting it done over the past few weeks, and Keselowski has to be considered a true title contender now.
2018 South Point 400 finishing order from Las Vegas Motor Speedway
(playoff race 1 of 10)
- Brad Keselowski (also stage 2 winner)
- Kyle Larson
- Martin Truex Jr. (stage 1 winner)
- Joey Logano
- Ryan Blaney
- Aric Almirola
- Kyle Busch
- Daniel Suarez
- Ryan Newman
- Paul Menard
- Austin Dillon
- Regan Smith
- Trevor Bayne
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chris Buescher
- Corey LaJoie
- JJ Yeley
- Landon Cassill
- Alex Bowman
- Ross Chastain
- Kurt Busch
- Jimmie Johnson
- Clint Bowyer
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Kyle Weatherman
- David Ragan
- BJ McLeod
- Michael McDowell
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Reed Sorensen
- Denny Hamlin
- Timmy Hill
- Ty Dillon
- Jamie McMurray
- Chase Elliott
- William Byron
- Bubba Wallace
- Kevin Harvick
- Erik Jones