Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Designated Driver team finished third after battling an ill-handling race car during the rain delayed GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday. Starting from the 17th position, the California native ran within the top 20 during the early laps while battling an extremely tight-handling Chevrolet. A lap-30 competition caution provided the Gil Martin-led pit crew the opportunity they needed to work on the handling of the red and white machine by changing four tires, adding fuel and making chassis adjustments. Positioned 21st for the ensuing restart, Harvick moved toward the front of the pack settling into the top 15 by lap 90. As the race progressed, Harvick noted the car's handling was getting better, but still needed improvement. The No. 29 team was scored in the 14th position when the red flag was displayed for rain over the speedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver visited pit road for four tires before returning to green-flag racing following a lengthy rain delay and restarted 16th on lap 116. But, he quickly moved toward the front of the field settling into the top 10 prior to the halfway point of the 267-lap affair. The No. 29 team continued to work on the handling of the Budweiser Designated Driver Chevrolet during the second half of the event, allowing their driver to race into the top five during the final laps and cross the finish line third. Following the 400-mile event, Harvick is fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
"We had a lot of fun tonight. Obviously, our Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet was running really good after the break. These guys did a lot of work in between while it was raining, so they did a good job with the car and making some adjustments toward the end of the race. We just got too loose there the last couple of runs on exit. We had a lot of fun and came up a couple short, but all-in-all it was a good night."