Kevin Harvick holds off Bowyer for Stage 2 win at Dover
Kevin Harvick held off his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer to complete a sweep of the first two stages at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
The stage win was the 14th for Harvick this season.
Martin Truex Jr. finished third, Joey Logano was fourth and Aric Almirola completed the top-five.
Also collecting stage points were Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski.
During the break between Stages 1 and 2, all of the lead-lap cars pit and Logano was first off pit road. When the race returned to green on Lap 129, Logano was followed by Harvick, Kyle Busch, Bowyer and Keselowski.
During the stops, Elliott was penalized for having an uncontrolled right-front tire and had to restart from the rear of the field.
Harvick powered back into the lead past Logano by the second turn of the restart lap as Bowyer moved into third.
After 150 laps, Harvick had moved out to a 2-second lead over Logano as Bowyer remained in third.
On Lap 157, Kyle Busch began losing positions. Two laps later he had fallen to eighth. The track bar doesn’t (expletive) work,” Busch said over his team radio.
Bowyer moved up into second on Lap 160 as Logano fell back into third.
With 60 to go in the second stage, Harvick held a 2-second advantage over Bowyer as Truex had moved into third. They were followed by Logano and Kurt Busch.
Several lead-lap cars began a round of green-flag pit stops on Lap 188 as everyone needed to stop at least once in the stage.
When the cycle of stops were completed on Lap 194, Harvick returned to the lead, with about a 2.3-second lead over Bowyer. Truex remained in third.
With 20 laps left in the stage, Bowyer had caught Harvick as Harvick had to spend time racing Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson while trying to put both a lap down.
Larson, a pre-race favorite for the win, finally went a lap down on Lap 222. Bowman went a lap down with 10 to go in the stage.
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