Despite repeated interruptions from Mother Nature, NASCAR was able to get the entire Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race completed Sunday with Kevin Harvick taking the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Bristol Motor Speedway results: Kevin Harvick wins the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Harvick overcomes Mother Nature, scores second win of the season.
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Harvick capitalized on the misfortune of several challengers to take command then pulled away over the final 40 laps to score his second win of the season and first at Bristol since 2005.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished second, with Denny Hamlin third, Austin Dillon fourth and rookie Chris Buescher fifth.
The weather-hampered race was postponed a day due to heavy rain and lightning, and its resumption on Sunday was delayed by additional rain through the morning into the early afternoon. Another cell caused a nearly seven-minute red flag with 66 laps remaining.
For much of the afternoon defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch was dominant, leading 254 of the first 350 laps. But his bid for victory ended on Lap 348 when a suspension failure caused him to crash, which also collected Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson, who appeared to have a contending car.
Later, race-leader Kurt Busch (Kyle’s older brother) also spun after he clipped the bottom groove, causing him to lose control. That left third-place Brad Keselowski with no room to maneuver, and he slammed into Kurt’s car while behind them several drivers piled up.
Nine cautions slowed the race for 106 laps.
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