Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
• Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS christened Victory Lane at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway with a Budweiser beer bath Saturday night after winning one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ (NSCS) most elite races – the Bojangles’ Southern 500.
• Harvick started the race from the pole position and quickly noted the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet had a tight-handling condition. Crew chief Rodney Childers called Harvick to pit road three times throughout the first 100 laps for the team to make adjustments, change tires and add fuel. Harvick maintained a top-five position during the time frame and led on two occasions.
• As the track’s temperature dropped, Harvick radioed to Childers that the car needed rear grip when exiting the turns. Harvick, scored the race leader, came to pit road during a caution on lap 125 for four tires, fuel and adjustments, and led for another 54 laps after the race restarted on lap 130.
• During a caution on lap 223, Childers called Harvick to pit road for four tires, fuel and more adjustments to improve the car’s handling. While the team was changing the right-rear tire one of the lug nuts fell off, causing Harvick to lose several spots on pit road. He was scored ninth when the race restarted on lap 226, but raced his way back to the lead by lap 255.
• On lap 272, Harvick reported the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet had made contact with debris on the track. The caution flag waved shortly after and Childers called Harvick to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment. The team discovered only minor damage to the car and Harvick reclaimed the lead after the restart on lap 279.
• Harvick was leading with a three-second advantage when a caution emerged with nine laps remaining in the event. Childers called him to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, and Harvick restarted fifth on lap 363 as the first driver on four new tires.
• The No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet was scored in the third position before NASCAR called a debris caution on lap 364, which necessitated the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Harvick raced his way into second place before the caution flag waved again for an incident involving the No. 41 car of Kurt Busch.
• Upon taking the green flag on the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Harvick rocketed to the lead around the outside of the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and went on to claim his second victory of the 2014 season. The victory marked his 25th career NSCS win and first at Darlington Raceway. He is the first driver to win at Darlington from the pole position since Dale Jarrett accomplished the feat in 1997.
• Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle completed the top-five positions.
• Gordon has a one-point lead over Kenseth in the NSCS driver point standings following Saturday’s race. Edwards, Earnhardt Jr. and Johnson complete the top-five spots. Harvick gained four positions in the standings is now ranked 22nd.
Harvick on his win at Darlington Raceway:
“It was just one of those deals where the strategy was going to be hard to overcome with the track position without those green-white-checkers there at the end. The cautions all lined out and this Budweiser Chevrolet was unbelievable all night. We were able to hang on there at the end and I knew I had that high line that I hadn’t showed to them all night on the restarts, and I wanted to save it until the very end. I kind of learned that last night as we were in the Nationwide race. It was a good tool in your tool bag to have there at the end.”
“This is one of those places that I circle every year I come to Darlington and most all of us know the history of this particular racetrack and what it means to our sport. To come here each year and know that now you only have one shot to win the Southern 500, and you look at the names and pictures on that trophy that they have out there. That is something that's pretty phenomenal to be a part of. It's the last crown jewel race I guess you could say that I wanted to win. I told (Childers) before the year even started, if we're only going to win once this year, let's win at Darlington, because this is just the place that you want to race, and I love racing here. I think it's like going to Bristol for me, for him here. He's not as enthused about it as I was. But all in all, it's a great place to race and means a lot to our sport.”
The following is the finishing position of the other Stewart-Haas Racing teams in Saturday's race:
• Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Chevrolet team finished ninth.
• Danica Patrick and the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet team finished 22nd.
• Kurt Busch and the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet team finished 31st.
Coming Up:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will enjoy a weekend off before traveling to Richmond International Raceway for the Toyota Owners 400 on April 26.