— The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — Kevin Harvick overcame a pair of horrendous pit stops to win the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Harvick led 83 of the 200 laps Saturday, but had to rally after his crew cost him several spots on pit road.

”You look like a bunch of idiots on pit road,” he told his Kevin Harvick Inc. crew after their first slow stop.

Harvick had to methodically work his way back through the field, and found himself trailing leader Denny Hamlin late in the race. Once past Hamlin, Harvick coasted to his second career win at Las Vegas and 35th in the Nationwide Series.

”I get mad, and they know how I am and what I expect of them,” Harvick said in Victory Lane. ”But I learned a long time ago you can only gripe about it for so long, and then you’ve got to go back and drive the car.”

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Hamlin was second, followed by Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Brian Vickers.

Danica Patrick placed 36th in her third and final NASCAR race before she takes a four-month hiatus to return to IndyCar racing.

She wrecked when she ran into the lapped car of Michael McDowell. She had just pitted and was on fresh tires, and McDowell said he misjudged her closing rate.

”I guess she was coming out on new tires, and the closing rate was so fast,” McDowell said. ”I tried to give the outside, I saw her coming into it and I closed the door. It was completely 100 percent my fault. I hate it for everyone at JR Motorsports.”

Patrick, who had climbed as high as third earlier in the race, was livid on the radio and uttered a few profanities immediately after the accident.


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