Kevin Harvick leads competition in stage points, stage wins

LAS VEGAS — Kevin Harvick now leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition in stage points three races into the season.

Harvick earned 19 stage points in the Pennzoil 400 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with his first and second-place finishes in Stages 1 and 2 of the race.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has netted 44 stage points and two race wins, leading the competition in both categories this year.

Our crew tried to catch Harvick post-race to get his thoughts on leading the competition in stage points and stage wins and how important that may be three races into this season.

Harvick declined the interview.

Joey Logano, who won Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, has the second most stage points at 36.

Ryan Blaney had previously acquired the most stage points through the first two races of 2019. He didn’t earn any stage points Sunday. now has the third-most at 28.

Rounding out the top-five drivers with stage points are Denny Hamlin (27) and Martin Truex Jr. (26).

The total does not include points acquired during the Gander Outdoors Duels from Daytona in February.

OVERALL
19 drivers have earned stage points in 2019.

Five drivers have won stages in 2019. Harvick is the only driver to win multiple stages with two. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano have each won one stage.

With the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 in May (four stages), every points awarding race in 2018 is broken up into three stages.

Each of the first two stages awards points to the top-10 finishing drivers. A first-place finish earns 10 points, second-place gets nine points, and so forth.

The next race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is next Sunday at ISM Raceway for the Ticket Guardian 500.

STAGE POINTS THROUGH LAS VEGAS