Kevin Harvick was convinced that he had a tire going bad on his No. 4 Jimmy Johns Ford Mustang, but the cagey veteran was able to get his car to the finish of Stage 2. Harvick also managed to fend off a hard-charging Chase Elliott for the Stage win. Harvick has now led an impressive 122 of the first 160 laps on the day.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver will now set his sights on his first race victory of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Elliott was second in the Stage, Kyle Larson was third, Alex Bowman ended up fourth and Jimmie Johnson — who was second most of the Stage — faded to fifth.
Two-time Chicagoland Speedway winner Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola also score Stage Points.
It’s been a miraculous recovery for Kyle Busch as he slammed the wall early in Stage 1 and then had a flat tire right as Stage 1 was ending. But now he sits inside the top-10.
Clint Bowyer suffered more tire issues in the Stage and as a result is 35th, 11 laps off the pace.
