Joey Logano kept a hard-charging Kevin Harvick in his rear-view mirror throughout the closing laps Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, winning under the lights in “Thunder Valley” for the second year in a row. Logano kept the #22 Ford in front over the final 63 trips around the Tennessee half-mile in posting his 3rd win of the season and the 11th of his career. The margin of victory was 0.22 of a second over Harvick with pole sitter Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer completing the top 5.
Harvick continues to cruise through 2015 with a comfortable lead in the regular-season standings. Heading into a late-summer break in the schedule, Harvick enjoys a 43 point advantage over Logano. The defending Sprint Cup Series champion has 21 top tens in 24 starts this season including 10 runner-up finishes, and victories at Las Vegas and Phoenix International Raceway. Harvick has been atop the point standings since his win in Vegas way back on March 8th.
Kyle Busch, a 4-time winner this year, further solidified his eligibility for a post-season Chase berth with an 8th place finish at Bristol. He now holds a 46 point cushion over Cole Whitt in his bid to remain among the top 30 with just two races left in the regular season. Busch led a race-high 192 laps Saturday night in his bid for a weekend sweep after winning Friday’s X-FINITY Series race.
The Sprint Cup Series will have next weekend off before returning to action Sunday, September 6th, with the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Unofficial Points Standings
DRIVER POINTS BEHIND LEADER
1. Kevin Harvick (2) 908 —
2. Joey Logano (3) 865 | -43
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) 819 | -89
4. Brad Keselowski (1) 793 | -115
5. Jimmie Johnson (4) 792 | -116
6. Martin Truex Jr. (1) 771 | -137
7. Matt Kenseth (3) 753 | -155
8. Kurt Busch (2) 713 | -195
9. Denny Hamlin (1) 712 | -196
10. Jamie McMurray 631 | -149
– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC
