Martin Truex Jr. has now scored as many Stage Wins in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 (2) as he did through the entire 26-race regular season. Truex has dominated through the first 230 laps of Sunday’s race as he has led 135 laps.
If Truex can go on to win the race, he will automatically advance to the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs.
Denny Hamlin, who slapped the wall early in the race, finished second in Stage 2 and he was followed by fellow Playoff contenders Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman.
Jimmie Johnson has been fast all race and finished Stage 2 in fifth.
Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota began to come to life in Stage 2 as he was sixth at the end of Stage 2.
Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-10 finishers in Stage 2.
The NASCAR Playoff drivers who were running outside the top-16 at the conclusion of Stage 2 were: Joey Logano (17th), Brad Keselowski (18th), Ryan Blaney (20th), Cole Custer (24th) and Matt DiBenedetto (27th).
Blaney started the race from the rear and had a 10-point penalty after an improperly mounted ballast was discovered on his car in pre-race tech. Blaney rallied to a top-15 finish in Stage 1, but a pit road issue sent him back to the rear to start Stage 2.
Stage and Playoff Points Awarded in Stage 2:
| Finish | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Kyle Busch | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Erik Jones | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Austin Dillon | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Clint Bowyer | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Kurt Busch | 1 | 0 |
