Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick served notice that he will defend his title by posting a dominating win at Las Vegas in the Kobalt Tools 400.

Sunday afternoon’s (3/8) Sprint Cup race began with the winner of the pole position Jeff Gordon actually starting at the back of the field. After Jeff won the top starting position in qualifying, he was again in the wrong place at the wrong time, although this time it was in the final practice. Danica Patrick got loose on the final lap of the final practice Saturday (3/7) resulting in a wreck with Jeff. The damage to Jeff’s #24 Chevrolet was enough to force him to move to his back-up car and relegate him to starting the Kobalt Tools 400 from the back of the field.

That put Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano and Kasey Kahne in the front row to start the Kobalt Tools 400 Sunday. When the green flag waived Joey shot out to the lead. In similar fashion to the previous week’s race in Atlanta, Joey looked as though he would be a strong contender to win the race early as he led 40 of the first 42 laps in the race.

However, also similar to the previous week’s race, Joey faded back in the back as the race as the afternoon continued. Nine different drivers exchanged the lead of the race 18 times by the time the checkered flag waived. The car that set the pace of the race more than any other was the #4 Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick.

Kevin took the lead of the race for the first time on lap 91 of the 267 lap race. He pulled the field of drivers around the mile-and-a-half track for a race high 142 laps Sunday afternoon. Of course the most important lap to lead is that final lap. Following the last round of green flag pit stops, Kevin again found his way back to the front of the field and remained the leader for the final 16 laps to cash in for the win in Las Vegas. Going back to the last three races of the 2014 season and including the first three races this year that is six consecutive races that Kevin has finished in the top two spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

Martin Truex Jr. continues his strong start to the 2015 Sprint Cup season by posting a second place finish in Las Vegas. Ryan Newman grabbed the third place finish while Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed in fourth place. Denny Hamlin came across the finish line in fifth place. See the complete race results for the Kobalt Tools 400 here.

The win for Kevin Harvick not only all but locks him into the Chase, it also moves him up to the lead in the points and places him on top of the Chase Grid at this point of the year. Dale Jr.’s fourth place finish added to his previous two third place finishes moves him up to second in the points (without a win it puts him in the fourth place on the Chase Grid). Joey Logano falls back to third in points, but with a win he only falls to second on the Chase Grid. Martin Truex Jr. moves up a spot to fourth in the point standings and sits in the fifth place on the Chase Grid. AJ Allmendinger moves up three places to round out the top five in the point standings and holds the sixth place on the Chase Grid. See the complete 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings here.

Jimmie Johnson fell five spots in the point standings to the seventh spot. However, having won the Atlanta race he only slips back to the third spot on the Chase Grid. See the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid as it stands following the Las Vegas race here.

Check out a video re-cap of the Kobalt Tools 400 from Las Vegas below.

The west coast swing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series continues this week in Phoenix, Arizona Sunday, March 15th with the running of the CampingWorld.com 500.

By: Buck Stevens

(Feature photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/306438Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)