Harvick Finishes Sixth at the Monster Mile

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – AAA 400
September 29, 2013 – Dover International Speedway

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team finished sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon after battling handling issues throughout the race. The California native started the 400-lap event from the 12th position and maintained a spot in the top 15 while battling a simultaneously tight and loose-handling red and white machine during the early laps. The Gil Martin-led pit crew made adjustments to the Budweiser Chevrolet during scheduled four-tire pit stops throughout the first half of the race, but Harvick continued to battle an ill-handling machine. As the race progressed, the pit crew continued to work to improve the handling of the Richard Childress Racing entry, allowing the 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner to gain valuable track position, crossing the finish line sixth and picking up his 15th top-10 finish of the 2013 race season. Following the 400-mile event, Harvick gained two positions and now sits fourth in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.

This was a tough one for us. We struggled most of the weekend to find the right balance on the Budweiser Chevrolet and battled handling issues during the race. The team did a great job bouncing back today and it resulted in the solid finish we needed. – Kevin Harvick

Race Notes

• Started – 12th, Finished, – 6th,  Laps led – 0, Points – 4th
• According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Harvick completed 53 Green-Flag Passes, 39 of which came while running in the top 15 (Quality Passes), positioning him second and third in the loop data categories.
• Harvick was the seventh-Fastest Driver Late in a Run, eighth in the Closers category after gaining two positions during the final 10 percent (40 laps) of the race, had the eighth-fastest Speed in Traffic, spent 95.5 percent of the laps in the Top 15, ranking him ninth, and was the 10th-Fastest Driver Early in a Run.
• RCR teammates Burton, Harvick and Menard posted nine of the Fastest Laps Run with four, three and two laps, respectively.