Missing Rings: The Big Three 2018

NASCAR you have dominant drivers it's normal it's gonna happen but what normally doesn't happen is that when three drivers are so dominant that they literally earn a coin nickname for their combined dominance that's exactly what happened in 2018 with Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr a wild Daytona 500 would only hide the sheer competitive dominance and competition gap that awaited us in 2018 and wins the folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 class remains in session Kevin Harvick Rodney Childers stewart-haas racing and four go to Victory Lane second week in a row winning the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube off turn four happy Harvick gets his 40th career win Kevin Harvick was the first to jump out and get three consecutive wins to start the year the man to end his streak would be the stage Dominator himself Martin Truex Jr Martin Truex has lapped all but the next nine cars going to be a great battle for fourth of the finish did he handle the Penske party and off turn for the headlines will read Jersey boy goes California dreamin Martin Truex Jr wins the Auto Club 400 after this win we would only have one man left who would help represent the terrific trifecta a driver never to be content being outdone Kyle Busch four straight finishes a second or third everything but @w today Kyle Busch wins in Texas for Joe Gibbs and Toyota Kevin Harvick three tenths of a second back it's see that's the that's where the 18 gains on Lars he just squirts up up that corner Larsen gains on getting into the corner he dive-bombed her in there but not enough little too late Kyle Busch wins Bristol John scoops down three wide again back at 6th place what a recovery for the 48 tonight they'll never make it off turn 2 feed from 32nd Kyle Busch wins Richmond everybody makes it across the line after basically a leap week at Talladega Harvick once again took the top spot 620 first career start coming out back for the 42 year-old from Bakersfield California moving to 18th on the all-time win list here he comes for his 41st career win Kevin Harvick wins you ain't over here but it's going to be over Harvick is just so good off the top of turn 2 gets that run into three tricks he'll have one more shot and here he comes on the bottom missed it by that much Kevin Harvick wins and Kansas Kyle Busch continued the trend to take home his 47th career win the Candy Man comes Kyle Busch gets it done at Charlotte he is now one everywhere this again only continued into the summer months starting with Truex who reaffirmed why he belongs in the same circuit as the other two yeah he was a lap down at one time great fight that's why they're up so high on the poise they're so good at fighting their way back to a good finish the tri-cornered racetrack has now given us a tri-cornered battle for the championship defending Series champ Artin Truex Jr wins the Pocono for gunner in graceful musician and he has a 13 second lead no good call there Clayton Hughes when he last won at Sonoma in June of 2013 it was only his second career win rounding turn 11 and headed for hold for party Visser and Furniture Row racing Martin Truex scores his 18th career NASCAR Cup victory I feel like a broken record here but again it continued with Kyle Busch earning another win this time a legendary win at Chicagoland Speedway Larssen has the advantage here comes the dominated once again only a plate trek would spare the NASCAR world again from the trio scorched earth policy that again wouldn't last long as the term grabbing again the champion we've mentioned the playoff points so important in advancing from round to round to round in the playoffs and of course one driver is going to get to the championship round on points more points going to mark tracks jr. as he wins in Kentucky that's aggressive but it's it's good good hard racing perhaps making himself the title favorite this week it's Kevin Harvick in the 4 car coming back and waiting at New Hampshire checked out as he goes down Long Pond straightaway for the final time entering turn three a year ago he ended a winless streak that had been 36 races now as he comes out onto the front stretch Kyle Busch is gonna win at Pocono again the final hurrah for the summer came from Kevin Harvick scoring his seventh win in 23 races but I have to nurse at home let's see if he can make it Kevin Harvick hasn't had to do anything half speed today he has been dominant he's led a hundred and eight laps from Michigan he'll win again in the Irish Hills well he's uh he's asked me for a couple days that he said daddy if you win I want to go across the track and get the checkered flag so pretty cool to be able to watch him do that get away vielen first checkered flag at burke ela and now his first ride to victory the post race for the win was a touching moment and it set the table for how the playoffs would restructure the season even with two consecutive Brad Keselowski wins no one could stack up with the big three making the first round of the playoffs inconsequential as they just basically needed to fight for more bonus points a feat accomplished at Richmond [Music] final laugh from the Richmond race would Kyle Busch looking for his 50th career win in the Monster Energy Cup Series and more importantly the ticket to the second round Kyle Busch is gonna sweep the Richmond race this would be the only time and all of the 2018 season that the big three actually finished one two three after this only left more bonus points still for grabs at the rovol Truex was looking to capitalize as he just had to hold off a desperate and hungry for a victory Jimmie Johnson even with the miss the big three were still intact as title favorites heading into the second round of the playoffs even having relative struggles the big three we're all able to be over 30 points over the cut line after Dover Talladega through the biggest possible wrench into this group as each finished 23rd or worse Harvick and Busch were both near locks but sure X on the other hand was only in by 18 points which could be made up in two stages a far cry from safety also being the first time all year that he would have to be on the hot seat with any adversity well the hot seat must have been the fire that was burnt under him because he went into Kansas and finished fifth advancing easily this led to the most season defining stretch of races the round of eight this would start at Martinsville the big three drivers ran up front as they always do Kevin Harvick ran in the top ten Kyle Busch ran the top five and around 100 laps but the attention was on the other member of the big three Truex again who mind you was working on passing leader Joey Logano and he worked lap after lap after lap after lap on the yellow 22 until finally he cleared him that leading to probably the most defining moment of the season from Joey Logano but Martin Truex Jr thumbs-down what's hear from him he's the partner right Rick he was joining into the crowd booing there so Martin you heard the boos you heard what Joey had to say what's your thoughts on that move at the end will he win the damn war trucks his words would be remembered for the remainder of the season as Logano is win locked him up in one of the final four spots if the big three was going to make it as one group they would need to close out the remaining four playoff drivers from victory a challenge that Kevin Harvick must have taken to heart the wind seemed to be Harvick's dominant returned a championship form at the right time of the season that was until the four was found to a failed inspection and for this NASCAR stripped him of his final four position meaning that heading into Phoenix none of the big three were officially locked into the final four while Bush Rex looks safer Harvick's 40 point penalty put him only three points over teammate Kurt Busch and only 17 points over chase ow but in one accident the fates of those challengers and the big three were sealed the twenty gets loose 20 lose here comes the 18 boys the 41 in the fence weighs 11 the night gets caught the 41 involved championship contenders involved here look at the damage to the 41 Oh credit one bank Kyle was looking for his a twin of 2018 one of the best in NASCAR looking for another shot at the championship Kyle Busch through three and four for the final time Kyle Busch is gonna win in the desert heading into Miami all of the big three would race for the championship against the Challenger of the decade in Joey Logano the first stage saw all four run in the top five with Harvick and Busch leading them the second stage saw Harvick still lead in the final four and edging out Kyle Larson at the line at the end of the stage the final stage opened up the final chance for the big three to win the championship it was clear that Harvick Logano and Truex had championship level cars what was fitting is that the championship then became a two-man race as the laps Wan down between Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr within the last 40 laps Truex led over Logano and it was by over two seconds if the cycle of pit stops had gone through it seemed like Trix had the car to power by him and get his second straight championship Kyle Busch was pushing his best chance by staying out as long as possible and trying to get a caution for the right time and get his 18 car ahead of the other competitors with 20 to go he got his chance leading to a season-ending final restart with the final for restarting 1-2-3-4 Busch Truex Logano and Harvick they ain't trying to get that quarter panel too sidetracked a little bit keeping except alongside but he's not gonna be able to do it seventy-eight to the lead and clear Morton Trix jr. surging ahead by four car lengths all the way to the back bumper of the outside he'll take the lead as they go down the backstretch buried that car down into teaching majors giving him the information no pressure at all well he has risen well above the pressure as he comes out of turn number four to claim his first ever Cup Series championship it's Joe Eli got away Joey Logano would be the David to the Goliath big three after winning 20 of 36 races the big three was a footnote to another drivers glory after all of the dominance it makes many wonder what if Kyle Busch hadn't faltered late in the season what if Kevin Harvick could have kept up the pace that he had in the first half of the race and the final hundred laps of the season what if in 2018 Martin Truex Jr and the rest of the big three had won the damn war

Channel: The Iceberg

Views: 66,846

Keywords: NASCAR, The Big Three, The Iceberg, Missing Rings, Championship, Final Four, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr, Joey Logano, Winning, Sport, Sports, Motorsport, Motorsports, Racing, NASCAR Racing, Auto Racing, Entertainment

Id: xPp9G_f94gw

Length: 16min 53sec (1013 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 30 2020