ditech Driver Records Ninth Top-Two Finish of 2015
Date: May 31, 2015
Event: FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks (Round 13 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile oval)
Start/Finish: 6th/2nd (Running, completed 405 of 405 laps in a green-white-checkered finish)
Point Standing: 1st (516 points, 44 ahead of second)
Winner: Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 ditech Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished second in the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway Sunday afternoon. Harvick scored his ninth top-two finish in the 13 points-paying races of 2015.
Harvick started sixth and raced his way to fourth by the second caution on lap 164. Having previously pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 159, the No. 4 ditech team stayed out under caution, but Harvick reported that the in-car track-bar controls were not functioning properly.
The reigning Sprint Cup champion restarted fourth, but he raced his way to the lead by lap 259 and remained there until pitting under green-flag conditions on lap 324. He regained the lead on lap 358 as the pit cycle concluded and remained the leader until the lap-383 restart. Two more cautions followed, on lap 387 and lap 400, respectively. A multicar accident set up a three-lap dash to the finish.
The Bakersfield, California, native started fourth in the outside lane for the green-white-checkered finish and was able to pass Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson on the restart to cross the finish line in second place.
“We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts,” said Harvick, who recorded his fourth top-five finish in 29 career points races at Dover. “Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box and just kind of had to hold on for the first 25 laps, and if we weren’t in the front then we struggled to just maintain what we had. All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it’s been a good racetrack for us. We’ve led laps and just haven’t quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day.”
Harvick led twice for 91 laps to bring his laps-led total at Dover to 483. He has now led 1,123 total laps through the first 13 races of 2015, eclipsing his laps-led total for every Sprint Cup season with the exception of last year, when he led 2,137 laps en route to the Sprint Cup championship.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 15th. It was Patrick’s first top-15 result in six starts at Dover and her third top-15 this season.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 16th to earn his 24th top-20 result in 32 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 31st after being collected in an accident on lap 386 when he was running among the top-10.
Jimmie Johnson won the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks to score his 74th career Sprint Cup victory, his fourth this season and his 10th at Dover. Johnson became just the fifth driver in Sprint Cup history to have 10 or more wins at a single track, joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt.
Harvick finished .435 of a second behind Johnson, while Larson, Kahne and Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr., Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were seven caution periods for 40 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 405-lap race, which was extended from its scheduled 400-lap distance by a green-white-checkered finish.
With round 13 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 516 points, 44 ahead of second-place Truex. Busch is 15th with 340 points, 176 out of first. Patrick is 18th with 321 points, 195 out of first. Stewart is 28th with 230 points, 286 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 on Sunday, June 7 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX Sports 1.
-TSC-