Harvick passes Truex late to win
was those guys [Harvick and Truex] wrecking each other and they’re too good for that.”
The race was free of wrecks until the last 30 laps when Alex Bowman and Daniel Suarez got into each other. But things really shook up a few laps later when Harvick passed Larson on the restart to assume control, and the No. 42 car began bumping with Blaney down the front stretch.
Those two got together, sending Blaney into the wall and Larson into the pits.
“I'm definitely to blame on that,” said Blaney, who won the first stage before Larson had charged to the front to capture the second. “Just trying to side-drift too hard.”
The race had barely returned to green when William Byron triggered a heavy wreck in front of the grandstand. Local favorites Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray were among a half-dozen cars involved.
“That one hurt really bad, but I'm fine,” Byron said. “We took two tires and just couldn't get it turned on the bottom. We were trying to kind of push some things there and it didn't work out.”
The red flag set up one last sprint to the finish.
Truex used some pit strategy to restart in the lead and quickly built a buffer.
But the No. 4 car swept past Logano and Hamlin on the outside to put Truex in his sights, then Harvick closed on the lead until finally overtaking the reigning series champion with a lap to go.
“They're hitting on all cylinders,” Truex said. “They’ve got a great balanced race car and they’re doing all the right things, and we’re just a step behind.”