Martin Truex Jr. Collects NASCAR Jackpot in Las Vegas [VIDEOS, PHOTOS]

Posted on March 13, 2017

Martin Truex Jr. did more than just win the Kobalt 400. He collected NASCAR‘s jackpot in points at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With the new three-stage racing implemented this year by NASCAR, drivers can win 10 championship points by being the leader in one of the first two stages of a race. Of course just like always there are bonus points for being the leader at the end of the third stage of the race that means you win the race itself.

Brad Keselowski started from the pole and was trying to win back-to-back races in the 2017 NASCAR season as well as back-to-back races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was Martin Truex Jr. that was leading the most laps and was the top car at the end of the first two stages of the Kobalt 400. However, Brad managed to take the lead late in the race and appeared that he would indeed all but cruise to the back-to-back wins he wanted.

With just two laps remaining, Brad’s car developed some kind of mechanical problem causing it to slow down significantly. Martin was there to race past Brad and remain the leader for the final couple of laps to score his first win on the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Martin becomes the first driver to win all three stages of a NASCAR race and claims the jackpot of max-points possible in a single race.

Kyle Larson finished the race in second place with Chase Elliott finishing in third place. Joey Logano claimed the fourth place finish while Brad Keselowski managed to limp across the finish line in fifth place. See the complete race results for the Kobalt 400 here.

Brad’s ability to salvage a top five finish in the race with a broken race car did pay off for him as he is now the leader in the point standings. Kyle Larson sits in second place followed by Chase Elliott in third. Martin Truex Jr.’s max-points win moves him to fourth place in the points with Joey Logano rounding out the top five. See the complete Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series point standings here.

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano had an incident on the track on the last lap that spilled over to pit road in the form of a brawl after the race. We will have to watch to see what transpires in future races between these two drivers.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Phoenix Raceway for the Camping World 500 Sunday afternoon, March 19th as NASCAR’s west coast swing continues.

By: Buck Stevens

Click the picture below to see the photo gallery of the race…

 

NASCAR 2017 Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 12: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, and Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER BOATS Toyota, lead the field under caution prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images - Courtesy of NASCARmedia.com)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 12: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, and Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER BOATS Toyota, lead the field under caution prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images - Courtesy of NASCARmedia.com)

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