Harvick clinches spot in Chase with Michigan win
Kevin Harvick became the first driver to lock down a position in the championship Chase after winning Sunday’s CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Harvick gambled on fuel and tires when he opted to stay on the track, while most of the leaders pitted for the final time during a late-race caution. He passed Denny Hamlin with 11 laps remaining and then beat Hamlin at the finish by 1.7 seconds for his third victory of the season and the 14th of his Sprint Cup Series career. Harvick also won at Michigan for the first time in his 20th Cup start here.
“It’s really been a great weekend all around and a great year, for that fact,” said Harvick, who led a total of 60 laps. “It’s a lot of fun to come to the racetrack right now. Everybody is doing a great job of not only continuing to press but to put better things on the racetrack and put things together correctly and just do a great job at the shop.”
Harvick recorded his first Cup win on a non-restrictor plate track since November 2006 at Phoenix. He also gave RCR its first Cup win at Michigan since Dale Earnhardt did it in 1990.
“It’s been 20 years since RCR won,” team owner Richard Childress said. “Kevin almost had the race several years ago. We broke a distributor. I can remember that one. We’ve had some really good runs. But to be able to put it together today, Kevin, he’s figured out how to make this thing work in the groove.”
The 34-year-old Harvick has been enjoying a complete turnaround this season, as he now holds a 293-point lead over Jeff Gordon, who finished 27th. Harvick sat 23rd in points when the series raced at Michigan one year ago.
With three races remaining before the Chase begins next month in New Hampshire, Jimmie Johnson and Hamlin lead the series with five victories each so far this season. Harvick is now second in line with his three wins.
“We’re going to enjoy it and we’re going to hopefully be ready for the last 10 weeks,” Harvick added.
Hamlin has not won a race since the series last came to Michigan two months ago.
“This is the kind of run we needed to kind of get back into the swing of things, but we still need to get better,” second-place finisher Hamlin said.
Carl Edwards finished third, while his Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle, who led the most laps with 66, and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top- five.
Team owner Jack Roush returned to the track for the first time this weekend after suffering serious facial and back injuries during a plane crash on July 27 in Oshkosh, WI.
Tony Stewart finished sixth, and Juan Pablo Montoya, who won last weekend on the road course in Watkins Glen, NY, took the seventh spot. Martin Truex Jr., Elliott Sadler and Joey Logano were eighth through 10th, respectively.
Mark Martin and Kurt Busch suffered major blows in their bids to make this year’s Chase.
Martin fell out of the top-12 in points after a disappointing 28th-place finish. He suffered damage to the nose and front fender of his car when he made contact with the wall in the opening laps.
“The car was really fast that last run, but it took the whole race to fix up my mistakes,” Martin said. “I was real aggressive early in the race, and I got that damage in the front.”
Martin fell to 13th in the rankings and trails Clint Bowyer by 35 points for the 12th spot. Bowyer finished 13th.
Kurt Busch blew an engine and retired from the race after 30 laps. Busch’s 40th-place finish dropped him from fourth to 10th in the standings.
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