NASCAR at Indianapolis 2018 Results: Brad Keselowski Wins Regular-Season Finale

Brad Keselowski took first place at the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard in a regular-season finale that was loaded with storylines throughout.

The No. 2 car passed Denny Hamlin with two laps remaining to earn his second win of the year heading into the playoffs.

Kyle Busch also clinched the regular-season title over Kevin Harvick with an eighth-place finish Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, even though Harvick had one more win on the year.

Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman earned the final two spots in the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.

This all sets up what could be an exciting championship run over the next 10 weeks.

Final Results

1. Brad Keselowski (2)

2. Erik Jones (20)

3. Denny Hamlin (11)

4. Kevin Harvick (4)

5. Clint Bowyer (14)

6. Kurt Busch (41)

7. Jamie McMurray (1)

8. Kyle Busch (18)

9. Paul Menard (21)

10. Ryan Newman (31)

Full results available at NASCAR.com.

The 160-lap race came down to a shootout, with a crash causing a restart with three laps remaining.

Keselowski, with fresher tires, was able to drive past Hamlin just before the final lap and hold on for his second straight victory:

Jamie Little of Fox noted what this meant for the Penske team:

Keselowski's win also allowed Alex Bowman and seven-time Cup winner Jimmie Johnson to earn the last two spots in the 16-man playoff.

Poor weather had been a major storyline throughout the weekend, with rain causing the cancellation of all practices and qualifying as well as the postponement of Sunday's race to Monday. This created a lot of uncertainty for the drivers as they were all going into an important race without much preparation.

This caused the top drivers to struggle a bit in the early going, including an early exit for Martin Truex Jr.: 

He explained on the NBC Sports broadcast that a brake rotor exploded, forcing the No. 78 car into the garage.

With the other big names moving off the lead, Clint Bowyer took advantage with his first stage win of the season:

There were several cautions in the second stage, although none were more important for the season standings than Bowman's collision with A.J. Allmendinger.

Jeff Gluck described the playoff picture after this incident:

Although Bowman returned to the track, he was several laps back and finished in 33rd.

Bowyer had a chance to win his second stage of the day but chose to pit along with several other leaders just a few laps before the end of Stage 2. This allowed Matt Kenseth to come away with the stage victory, which was also his first of the year.

Although Kyle Busch was penalized for a commitment line violation, he was able to clinch the regular-season title at the end of Stage 2, via Bob Pockrass of ESPN:

The story of the third stage was pit strategy, with each driver trying to figure out the best time to come in without losing much ground. 

Hamlin and Bowyer battled for much of the last 60 laps, but two late cautions allowed others back in the race. Keselowski took advantage to come through with a late victory, while Erik Jones followed for second place.

There is no time for the top drivers to relax as the playoffs begin Sunday with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The pressure will continue to rise with each race potentially altering the outlook of the championship.