Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Designate a Driver team scored a 12th-place finish in the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday afternoon after battling handling issues throughout the 267-lap event. The 36-year-old driver started the race from the 35th position and moved toward the front of the field as soon as the green flag dropped, but alerted crew chief Gil Martin that he was battling a loose-handling condition on the No. 29 Chevrolet during the early stages of the race. Harvick worked his way into the top 20 prior to Martin calling him to pit road under green-flag conditions on lap 44 for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment in an attempt to alleviate the handling issues Harvick was fighting. Back on track, the Bakersfield, Calif., native maintained a position in the top 20, but reported the No. 29 Chevrolet was still too loose which led the pit crew to make major chassis adjustments during their next scheduled pit stops. As the race progressed, Harvick worked his way up to fourth in the running order, but as the loose-handling condition persisted, he slipped back in the field ultimately crossing the finish line in 12th position. The top-15 finish positions Harvick 10th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 24 markers behind the leader.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“This was not the run the No. 29 team was hoping to bring home today. We just couldn’t find the right setup we needed to correct the loose handling condition we were battling all day. The Budweiser Designate a Driver team gave it their all this weekend, we just don’t have the result to show for it.”