Las Vegas NASCAR: Kevin Harvick takes first win of title defence

Harvick, whose win marked six consecutive top-two Cup finishes, reported a tyre vibration in the closing stages of the race but survived the minor scare to comfortably hold off the re-energised Martin Truex Jr.

Key to Harvick's victory was a pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr with just over a quarter of the race remaining, having led for the majority before being caught out at a restart following a caution.

The Stewart-Haas driver, who led more than three times as many laps as anyone else, pulled a gap on Earnhardt before taking four tyres to his rival's two in the final pitstops and repassing the Hendrick man without trouble late on.

Earnhardt slipped to fourth in the final reckoning, behind Furniture Row driver Truex and a charging Ryan Newman.

Truex led just one lap throughout the whole of last season but continued his 2015 resurgence by being a constant frontrunner at the Nevada track.

Despite being the first of the lead pack to make his final pitstop, which he did with 37 laps remaining, he held off Newman to comfortably record his best Vegas result.

Strategy aside only two other drivers led significant portions of the race, although the tallies of Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson were dwarfed by Harvick's.

Logano led the first part of the race and looked a genuine victory contender, but two pitlane speed offences ultimately stymied his challenge and he wound up fifth.

That was better than six-time champion Johnson, though, who suffered two separate incidents involving a loose wheel and eventually finished his race in the pits.

Top qualifier Jeff Gordon made steady if unspectacular progress from the back having been forced to forfeit his pole position, eventually finishing 18th - three places behind Brian Vickers, returning for the first time following heart surgery at the end of 2014.

RESULTS - 267 LAPS:

LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER THREE OF 36 ROUNDS: