Photo Credit: Noel Lanier/OnPitRoad.com
Brad Keselowski capitalized on a late race mistake by Kevin Harvick to gain his first victory at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Harvick dominated the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500. He won two of the three stages and lead 293 laps, but during the final round of pit stops, he got a pit road speeding penalty and had to restart in the rear of the field. He ended up finishing a disappointing ninth after a dominant performance.
The win didn’t come easy for Keselowski. The 2012 series champion had to overcome his own adversity on two occasions. On Lap 118, Keselowski had to pit for a tire going down. On the second to last caution, Keselowski won the race off pit road, but the team noticed he had a loose wheel, so the driver had to start at the back of the lead lap cars. Keselowski was, however, able to persevere through the closing stages to net his first win of 2017.
During the final few laps of the race, Keselowski had to pass the No. 42 of Kyle Larson who would come home with a second-place finish. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and Georgia native Chase Elliott rounded out the top-5. Kenseth and Kahne themselves fought through adversity after being a lap down for most of the 325-lap race.
Results from Atlanta
