Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion, led 142 of 267 laps on his way to his 29th series win and first at Las Vegas, the site of Sunday's 400-mile Cup race. This win virtually guarantees Harvick a chance to defend his championship when the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup begins at Chicagoland in September. The Las Vegas, Nevada race was the second-straight intermediate track race following last week's Atlanta trip, and was the first in a series of three consecutive west coast races for the Sprint Cup and Xfinity series that also includes visits to Phoenix, Arizona and Fontana, California. Finishing second was Martin Truex Jr., third Ryan Newman and fourth Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Many drivers suffered problems during the race, including Jimmie Johnson, who led 45 laps but then had a vibration that caused him to make an unscheduled pit atop, followed by a pair of spins. Johnson finished 42nd. Carl Edwards also had problems in the #19 Toyota and finished 41st. Jeff Gordon, who moved from the pole to the back of the field with his backup car after Saturday's practice incident, had yet another spin with damage in Sunday's race, leaving him with another poor finish and 30th in points. Even Harvick thought he had a tire going down with less than ten laps left, and he shredded his right rear tire a lot during his victory burnout, creating a sight in victory lane. The only retiree from the race was Alex Bowman, whose #7 Chevrolet lost its engine on lap 28 and brought out the first of six cautions.
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