DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – MAY 17: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light YOURFACEHERE Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway on May 17, 2020 in Darlington, South Carolina. NASCAR resumes the season after the nationwide lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19). Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
NASCAR’s return to real-time action Sunday afternoon was a resumption of the close-quarter, high-action brand of racing that fans have long expected at historic Darlington Raceway, culminating with Kevin Harvick claiming his first trophy of the season in front of a robust television and radio audience eager to welcome sports back.
AVONDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 08: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 08, 2020, in Avondale, Arizona. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Joey Logano expected a bump from Kevin Harvick in the two-lap overtime Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, but the bump never came.
Instead, Harvick pulled up beside Logano in the center of turns one and two on the final lap of the FanShield 500, but Logano sped away with a hard charge off turn two and cruised to the finish line with a margin of 0.276 seconds.
With the victory—his second at Phoenix and the 25th of his career—Logano is the first multiple-time winner of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, having previously taken the checkered flag at Las Vegas in the year’s second event.
Week number three of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season is in the books. Alex Bowman added his name to the list of winners so far this year, dominating for the majority of the race and winning by a large margin. The three races have seen three different drivers win, but even so, a driver without a win stays perched atop the power rankings due to his consistency.
Penalties and ‘The Bounty’ top this week’s Hot Topics featuring the negative and positive side of NASCAR.
First up are the recent penalties occurring so early in the 2020 season. Then, on a lighter and more positive side is ‘The Bounty’ Kevin Harvick is offering and Marcus Lemonis is making better.
Take some time to read my take on both Hot Topics. Then, share your thoughts in the comment section below.
The NASCAR season is now officially, officially, underway. Obviously, Daytona started the season, but the second race is circled on every team’s calendar as a ‘test’ race of sorts, where car performance can first be seen without the help of a 200+ mile per hour draft. Joey Logano picked up the victory in the Pennzoil 400, and the top-ten was full of unexpected success stories. That led to some large shakeups in this week’s power rankings, but a driver who hasn’t yet won now leads the pack.