Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem crew captured a sixth-place finish during the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway after running out of fuel under green-flag conditions and battling a tight handling car throughout the race. Harvick started the 267-lap affair from the second position and quickly reported the No. 29 Chevrolet was tight. The Bakersfield, Calif., native held onto his second-place starting position until lap 86 when the Rheem machine ran out of fuel during a green-flag run. Harvick coasted his Chevrolet down pit road to the attention of the No. 29 crew to add fuel and bolt on four fresh tires. The Richard Childress Racing veteran headed back on track in the 26th position, one lap down from the leader. As the field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Harvick returned to the lead lap taking over the 15th position by lap 94. As the race continued, the Shane Wilson-led crew worked on the red and black Chevrolet’s tight-handling condition, making several air pressure and chassis adjustments during their next two visits to pit road. Harvick’s persistence to make his way back toward the front of the field ultimately left him in the sixth position when the checkered flag was displayed to conclude the race. Harvick dropped one position, to sixth, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 25 points behind the leader.
Start - 2 Finish - 6 Laps Led - 0 Points - 6
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“This was not the day we were looking for. We made some mistakes, but everyone kept it together and we earned a solid finish. We fought a tight-handling condition for the entire race and ran out of fuel on a green-flag run, so a sixth-place finish for the Rheem Chevrolet was a good rebound. Our cars are fast, we just need to push forward and start thinking about the next race.”