Breaking down the Kobalt 400, stage by stage
Breaking down Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
STAGE 1 (Laps 1-80)
RUNNING ORDER: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
LEADERS: Keselowski, laps 1-19; Truex Jr., laps 20-24; Keselowski, laps 25-70; Joey Logano, laps 71-75: Truex Jr., laps 76-80.
YELLOW FLAGS: Corey LaJoie, laps 19-24, hit wall in Turn 2; Kevin Harvick, laps 70-75, hit wall on front straight.
OUT OF RACE: LaJoie, Harvick.
WHAT HAPPENED: Keselowski led comfortably and appeared headed to the stage win before Harvick cut a tire and slammed the wall past the start-finish line. Logano and McMurray emerged from the yellow 1-2 after taking two tires while the leaders received four. The strategy failed, as stage winner Truex Jr. and a gaggle of others freight-trained past on the restart.
STAGE 2 (Laps 81-160)
RUNNING ORDER: Truex Jr., Keselowski, Larson, Elliott, Logano, Blaney, Earnhardt Jr., McMurray, Ryan Newman, Johnson.
LEADERS: Truex Jr., laps 81-124; Keselowski, laps 125-126; Ty Dillon, laps 128-128; Michael McDowell, laps 129-130; Truex Jr., laps 131-153; Johnson, laps 154-156; Truex Jr., laps 157-160.
YELLOW FLAGS: First stage conclusion, laps 82-87; Derrike Cope, laps 153-156, contact in Turn 2.
OUT OF RACE: None.
WHAT HAPPENED: It was all Truex Jr. all the time — until Cope spun and brought out the yellow seven laps from the green-and-white checkered flag. Johnson and Kurt Busch stayed out, restarted 1-2. Then it was Truex Jr. time again. Second verse, same as the first.
STAGE 3 (Laps 161-267)
RUNNING ORDER: Truex Jr., Larson, Elliott, Logano, Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Blaney, McMurray, Kenseth, Bowyer.
LEADERS: Truex Jr., laps 161-211; Johnson, laps 212-227; Truex Jr., laps 228-243; Keselowski, laps 244-265; Truex Jr., laps 266-267.
YELLOW FLAGS: Second stage conclusion, laps 162-167; Danica Patrick, laps 253-258, blown engine, oil on track.
OUT OF RACE: Timmy Hill, Patrick.
WHAT HAPPENED: Truex Jr. powered around Keselowski with two laps to go and pulled away to the win as Keselowski faded to fifth. Logano and Kyle Busch, racing for fourth place, got together on the white flag lap; Busch’s car careened out of control down the pit lane. An altercation between Busch and Logano and members of Logano’s crew left the Las Vegas driver with a bloody forehead.
