Kevin Harvick Takes Rain-Delayed Bristol Race

By ESPN

Kevin Harvick wasn't worried about his poor qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway. In fact, starting 24th gave Harvick exactly what he wanted to win at Bristol Motor Speedway.

"It kind of motivates me," Harvick said Sunday. "I think it's exciting. I like to pass cars."

Harvick made the biggest pass with 70 laps to go, sweeping by Denny Hamlin and holding on to take the rain-delayed race at the half-mile concrete track.

The victory was Harvick's second of the season and second at Bristol -- his first in 11 years. It also moved him atop the Sprint Cup standings and gave his program a jolt with only three races left until NASCAR's Chase starts.

Harvick had 13 top-10 finishes in the 18 races since winning at Phoenix in March.

"It's been one of those deals where things have just not gone exactly right," said Harvick, who led 128 laps. "But to have the win now and just try to get that momentum before we get into the Chase and get things rolling is really what we needed."

Fittingly for a race halted because of Saturday night storms, Harvick had to sit out one last rain delay before easily pulling away on the restart and cruising to victory.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Harvick said over the radio as he crossed the line.

Harvick enticed his car owner -- and retiring driver -- Tony Stewart to do burnouts with him to celebrate the three-time champion's last race at Bristol. He wanted Stewart to share the victory lap, but "Tony and I aren't very good at sign language from one seat to another," he said.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second, followed by Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher.

Kyle Busch, who led 256 laps, clearly had the strongest car, leading a race-high 256 laps. But he spun on Lap 358 when a part broke and Justin Allgaier, driving in relief of Michael Annett, hit the No. 18 car flush to end the defending series champ's race.

Dillon claims Xfinity Race

Austin Dillon figured fourth place was about all he could get Friday night until the old Brad Keselowski-Kyle Busch rivalry reared up at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Keselowski hit the back of Busch's car as the defending Sprint Cup champ tried to clear him from the lead, cutting down a tire and sending Busch into the wall four laps from the scheduled end. Then just as suddenly Keselowski ran out of gas during the caution -- leaving a happily surprised Dillon out front to win the Xfinity race in overtime Friday night.

"I was actually just enjoying what was going on (up front) trying to get there," Dillon said about the chaos.

For the last 50 laps, the race looked like a classic faceoff between Busch and Keselowski, whom no one would consider friends.

While Keselowski's tactic to many diehards was just a traditional Bristol bump-and-run, it's sure to stir up a Busch-Keselowski tussle that frequently goes from zero-to-60 in seconds.

Keselowski described Busch as another name for a donkey during driver intros at Bristol in 2010. Keselowski detailed their rocky relationship on and off track in a blog last year.