Martin Truex Jr. passed a slowing Brad Keselowski with two laps remaining to win Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The victory was Truex’s first of the 2017 Monster Energy Cup Series and essentially locks him into the playoffs for a third straight season.
Keselowski, who won last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, had passed Truex with 24 laps left and was seemingly headed for a second straight Las Vegas win when a mechanical failure caused his No. 2 car to slow considerably. That allowed Truex to close the distance and eventual go ahead of Keselowski as they entered Turn 3.
Kyle Larson finished second, Chase Elliott third, and Joey Logano fourth. Keselowski was able drive his hobbled car to a fifth-place finish. Completing the top 10 were Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, and Clint Bowyer.
Truex won the first and second stages on Sunday, making him the first driver to finish first in all three segments under NASCAR’s new format that sections races into thirds. Drivers who finish in the top 10 in the first two stages are awarded bonus points that are added to their season total.