Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Sunday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway by winning the AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The victory punched Harvick’s ticket to the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Harvick came into Dover needing to win to advance from the Challenger Round.
This was the 30th points-paying Sprint Cup win for SHR since its inception in 2009 and the organization’s fifth this season. Harvick won earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, and SHR teammate Kurt Busch won at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. It was also the 750th Sprint Cup win for Chevrolet.
Harvick started 15th, raced his way to the lead by lap 24 and dominated the remainder of the race. He led seven times for a race-high 355 of 400 total laps around the 1-mile, concrete oval en route to his 31st career Sprint Cup win but his first at Dover. This was the most laps Harvick has ever led in a Sprint Cup race. His previous high was 272 laps led at Richmond on May 6, 2006. Harvick’s laps-led total so far this season stands at 2,031. With seven races still remaining, Harvick is on track to set a new career high, eclipsing his previous laps-led mark of 2,137 set last year en route to the Sprint Cup championship.
In addition, the victory marked the 750th for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, more than any other manufacturer. It is the 48th win for the Chevrolet SS since its debut in 2013. Fonty Flock, driving a ’55 Chevy, scored the manufacturer’s first-ever victory in the series on March 26, 1955, at Columbia (S.C.) Speedway.
“I’m just so proud of everybody from Stewart-Haas Racing to do everything that we’ve done the last three weeks,” said Harvick, winless at Dover in 29 previous Sprint Cup Series races. “Obviously, we weren’t in a great position coming into today. That’s what these guys are made of, and that’s what teamwork is all about. I’ve just got to thank everybody from Budweiser, Jimmy John’s and Chevrolet – it’s the 750th win for (Chevrolet) – and everybody who helps us on this car. This is what it’s all about, those big-time moments.
“Anytime you can go through moments like this, gain some momentum and prove to yourself that you can do things like this, there’s no way you can’t be stronger,” Harvick continued. “I’m just so proud of those guys, so proud of our fans and everybody for all their support all week. There it is, stay the course. That’s what he (Tony Stewart) always says. Tony is just one of those guys who always puts everybody before him, and that’s really what makes Stewart-Haas what it is. It’s just a lot of fun to be a part of this team.”
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 17th after running among the top-five for much of the race. With less than 100 laps remaining, the left-front jack bolt backed out, causing the Haas Automation machine to lose ride height. Nonetheless, Busch also advanced to the Contender Round, as his points tally during the Challenger Round was strong enough to place him among the top-12.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 21st.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 26th.
Kyle Busch finished 2.639 seconds behind Harvick in the runner-up spot, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray and Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five. Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson and Joey Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were eight caution periods for 43 laps, with three drivers failing to finish.
As the third race in the 10-race Chase, Dover served as the first elimination race. The original, 16-driver Chase field was whittled down to 12 following the AAA 400, with McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer failing to make the cut.
Joining Harvick and Kurt Busch in advancing from the Challenger Round to the Contender Round were Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Logano, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Earnhardt. All had their respective point tallies reset to 3,000.
Three Contender races will be run, with the next cutoff coming after the Oct. 25 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, when the Chase field shrinks to eight for the Eliminator Round. Another three races will be run after that, where after the Nov. 15 race at Phoenix, only four drivers will advance to the final, winner-take-all Championship Round Nov. 22 in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 10 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC.
Harvick's win is 750th for Chevy: In dominating fashion, Kevin Harvick won the AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway in his #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevy SS by leading 355 circuits of the 400-lap event. The victory advanced the defending champion to the next stage in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. This was Harvick's third win of the season, his first at Dover; and sixth consecutive victory for Team Chevy at the 1.0-mile concrete track. In addition, the victory marked the 750th for Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, more than any other manufacturer. It is the 48th win for the Chevy SS since its debut in 2013. Fonty Flock, driving a '55 Chevy, scored the manufacturer's first-ever victory in the series on March 26, 1955, at Columbia (S.C.) Speedway. "To be the first manufacturer to reach 750 wins is a credit to all of the drivers and teams who have partnered or worked with Chevrolet over all of these decades," said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance Vehicles & Motorsports. "These victories - from the very first by Fonty Flock 60 years ago, to Kevin Harvick's today, to all of the others in-between - are a result of tremendous teamwork involving owners, drivers, crew chiefs, crews and technical partners."(Chevy Racing)(10-5-2015)
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