NASCAR: 2017 AAA Texas 500 results – Kevin Harvick punches his ticket
By Asher Fair
Kevin Harvick has punched his ticked to the Championship Four with his second win of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season at Texas.
In the 34th NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2017 season, Kevin Harvick passed Martin Truex Jr. late to win the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas to clinch himself a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida in two weeks.
The AAA Texas 500 was the eighth of 10 playoff races this season and the second of three races in the Round of 8. Harvick joins Kyle Busch as the other driver who has won so far in the Round of 8 and has thus locked up a spot in the Championship 4.
By virtue of being so far ahead of the Championship 4 cut line, Martin Truex Jr. has also clinched a spot in the Championship 4 even despite the fact that he has not won either of the two Round of 8 races that have been held so far. He finished in 2nd place at Martinsville and Texas.
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So there will be one spot in the Championship 4 available for the other five Round of 8 drivers who have not yet clinched a spot in the Championship 4 to go after next week in the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
Those five drivers are Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski is currently the driver in that final spot, but will he ultimately be the one who advances?
Whatever happens next week, a few things is certain — Kyle Busch is in the Championship 4 because he won at Martinsville last week, and Kevin Harvick will join him because of his win at Texas today while Martin Truex Jr. will join them both due to his standing in the points.
Here are the full race results for of the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (playoff drivers in italics):
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
- Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, TriStar Motorsports
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Ray Black Jr., Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- David Starr, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Gray Gaulding, Toyota, BK Racing
Next: NASCAR Playoffs: Pros and Cons
The Can-Am 500 is set to take place next Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Which driver will secure the final spot in the Championship Four in that race? That race will be broadcast live at 2:30 PM ET on NBC, so don’t miss it.