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Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Team Win Big at Phoenix International Raceway

Post-Race Reports | NASCAR Cup Series | 11/12/12

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser team captured their first victory of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season after starting from the 19th position and battling a tight-handling condition during the early laps of the AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. After rolling off the starting grid from the 19th position, the Bakersfield, Calif., native maintained a position near the top 20 as he battled a tight-handling Chevrolet during the early portion of the scheduled 312-lap affair. The Gil Martin-led pit crew made adjustments to the black and red machine during scheduled pit stops on laps 18 and 53 to correct the handling issues that challenged Harvick. Following the lap-53 visit to pit road, Harvick returned to the track in the seventh spot. Martin continued to use pit strategy to improve track position, allowing Harvick to break into the top five following a two-tire pit stop on lap 168. As the final laps ticked away, the 36-year-old driver survived multiple caution periods and continued to work his way toward the front of the field, taking over the lead on lap 305. Harvick endured a green-white-checkered finish to capture his first victory of the 2012 season, ending a 44-race winless streak. The win moved Harvick up three positions in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, to eighth, 86 markers behind the leader.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“It was an interesting day to say the least, but Gil (Martin, crew chief) did a great job of keeping us in the track position game and made our car better all day. The further we got towards the front of the field, the better the car handled. The Budweiser crew made good adjustments today. At the end, we had a couple restarts and Kyle (Busch) chose the bottom line and we were able to drive around the topside of him and get control of the race and drive to Victory Lane. It was great to be back in Victory Lane and to have Keelan there for our first victory celebration as a family.”


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