Kevin Harvick dominated Sunday’s CampingWorld.com 500 (March 15, 2015) at Phoenix International Raceway, but he had to hold off charging Jamie McMurray on the final restart with 12 laps left to notch his fourth straight victory at the one-mile track.

Kevin Harvick (Photo: Christian Petersen/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Kevin Harvick (Photo: Christian Petersen/NASCAR via Getty Images)
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The box score will show that the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champ led 224 of 312 laps, but McMurray took his best shot on the Lap 301 restart, driving hard to the inside of the race winner and, for the briefest of moments, clearing Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet off Turn 2.

But the driver who has become an all-but-irresistible force in NASCAR’s premier series fought back to the outside, cleared McMurray’s No. 1 Chevrolet and cruised to the finish line 1.153 seconds ahead of the race runner-up.

The victory was Harvick’s second straight this season, his fourth straight at Phoenix and the 30th of his career. Harvick has won five of the last six races at the one-mile track in the Sonoran Desert — seven overall — and his string of seven straight top-two finishes in the Sprint Cup series, dating to last season, is the longest since Richard Petty rattled off 11 consecutive top-results in 1975.

The last driver to win four straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at the same track was Jimmie Johnson at Charlotte in 2004-05.

Ryan Newman ran third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Busch. Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson completed the top 10. Truex posted his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, the first time a Furniture Row Racing driver has accomplished that feat.

As far as the highest finishing Iowa driver, Landon Cassill (Fairfax, IA) drove his CRC 1 Tank Renew Chevrolet to a 22nd place finish. Brett Moffitt brought the Dockside Logistics Ford home 32nd. Michael Annett had mechanical trouble early with his Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet, and he ended the day 42nd.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race - CampingWorld.com 500
Phoenix International Raceway
Avondale, Arizona
Sunday, March 15, 2015

1. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 312, $263090.

2. (3) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 312, $194931.

3. (5) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 312, $167690.

4. (9) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 312, $132900.

5. (8) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 312, $132690.

6. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 312, $145721.

7. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 312, $121025.

8. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 312, $135038.

9. (10) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 312, $133666.

10. (12) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 312, $116438.

11. (20) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 312, $130066.

12. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 312, $93430.

13. (7) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 312, $79180.

14. (21) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 312, $95130.

15. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 312, $118041.

16. (4) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 312, $123216.

17. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 312, $112038.

18. (28) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 312, $103613.

19. (32) Aric Almirola, Ford, 312, $116091.

20. (24) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 312, $101588.

21. (13) David Ragan, Toyota, 312, $120171.

22. (33) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 312, $78505.

23. (25) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 312, $92855.

24. (30) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 312, $112263.

25. (39) Cole Whitt, Ford, 312, $89538.

26. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 312, $85655.

27. (19) Greg Biffle, Ford, 312, $108438.

28. (36) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 309, $118755.

29. (29) David Gilliland, Ford, 309, $94602.

30. (26) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 309, $78405.

31. (40) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, 309, $76240.

32. (38) Brett Moffitt, Ford, 309, $73555.

33. (37) Mike Bliss(i), Ford, 308, $73430.

34. (41) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 307, $74805.

35. (35) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 307, $73180.

36. (34) Josh Wise, Ford, 306, $73030.

37. (42) Brendan Gaughan(i), Chevrolet, 306, $72898.

38. (43) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 304, $68327.

39. (17) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Accident, 282, $91469.

40. (27) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 277, $86600.

41. (18) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 230, $83469.

42. (31) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 202, $52255.

43. (16) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 179, $68155.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  105.753 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 57 Mins, 01 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.153 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  10 for 53 laps.

Lead Changes:  8 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   K. Harvick 0; J. Logano 1-25; K. Harvick 26-118; B. Keselowski 119-170; K. Harvick 171-188; J. Logano 189-198; K. Harvick 199-294; J. McMurray 295; K. Harvick 296-312.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Harvick 4 times for 224 laps; B. Keselowski 1 time for 52 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 35 laps; J. McMurray 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick - 182; J. Logano - 160; M. Truex Jr. - 155; K. Kahne - 132; A. Allmendinger - 127; D. Earnhardt Jr. - 126; J. Johnson - 124; R. Newman - 123; B. Keselowski - 116; M. Kenseth - 113; P. Menard - 112; C. Mears - 111; D. Hamlin - 108; A. Almirola - 105; C. Bowyer - 101; G. Biffle - 101.

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