Martin Truex Jr. was able to pass Brad Keselowski with two laps left in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 and capture his eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. Truex Jr. also became the first driver to win every segment along with the race victory.
Brad Keselowski reported that he had a flat tire with two laps remaining, therefore his lead shrunk and Truex Jr. was able to close the gap and eventually pass Keselowski to earn his first win of the 2017 season.
“Even as close as we were yesterday in practice, we made a lot of changes last night based on feel, and the direction we felt we needed to go, and the guys just did a phenomenal job getting the car the way that we needed it. Thankful to be able to put it all together. Feels good to be here, and first win at Vegas feels awesome,” Truex Jr. said.
For the second consecutive week, Kyle Larson had a runner-up finish. With another second place finish, Larson is becoming a vital contender each week.
“What an awesome day for our Target Chevy team,” said Larson. “Second in the first stage, third in the second stage and then finished second in the race. I can’t say enough about my team. I’m so proud of them. Our race cars are amazing right now. We are going to hopefully, keep building on what we’ve got and keep challenging for wins and they will come.”
Finishing third was Chase Elliott and he scored his second consecutive top-five finish. Both Elliott and Larson are showing they’re capable of winning multiple races with good finishes the past two weeks.
“I’m really proud of the way we have performed,” Elliott told the media. “Our pit stops have been great, our cars have been good. Been able to run solidly in the top 5 the past couple weeks, which is great for me and our team, and we just got to keep that going and find that next little bit.”
Next Sunday, “NASCAR Goes West” continues at Phoenix International Raceway. Coverage starts at 3 p.m. Eastern on your local Fox affiliate.
