DARLINGTON, S.C. _ Martin Truex Jr. was strongest when it mattered most Sunday, winning the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Truex, whose previous victory this season came at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, outlasted Kevin Harvick, who led a race-high 214 laps but was ultimately undone by errors by his pit crew.
It was the second Southern 500 victory for Truex's Denver-based Furniture Row Racing. Regan Smith won for the organization in 2011.
Kyle Larson finished third, Denny Hamlin fourth and Joey Logano fifth. Ryan Newman, who finished eighth, drew to within seven points of Jamie McMurray for the 16th and final spot in the Chase, which begins in two weeks.
Harvick was upset with his pit crew for errors that cost him the lead.
"I'm through with being a cheerleader," he said of his crew. "They get paid a lot of money to do their jobs."
