Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Rheem team captured a fifth-place finish, and clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, after leading 101 laps while battling a tight-handling condition during the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday night. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the 327-lap event from the 24th position and began a run toward the front of the field as soon as the green flag waved, entering the top five within the first 38 circuits. During the initial run, Harvick reported to crew chief Gil Martin that the Rheem Chevrolet was too tight on the exit of the turns and the pit crew went to work on the No. 29 Chevrolet during the first pit stop on lap 39 while under caution. After the pit crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a chassis adjustment, Harvick returned to the track in the fifth position for the ensuing restart. As green-flag racing resumed, the 36-year-old driver drove to the front of the field taking over the lead on lap 83. The Rheem team had a dominant run until lap 280 when Harvick was shuffled back in the pack, to seventh, after restarting the race from the fifth position following a caution period. As the race neared an end, the Richard Childress Racing driver battled for track position while continuing to fight the tight-handling condition on the Rheem Chevrolet. The pit crew made one final attempt to correct the issues Harvick was facing during their final pit stop on lap 321 under yellow-flag conditions. A speedy pit stop sent Harvick back on track in the fourth position for the green-white-checkered finish. During the restart the Rheem Chevrolet was shuffled back in the pack when Harvick lost momentum as the driver directly in front of him spun his tires on the restart, leaving him to cross the finish line in the fifth position. The team’s fourth top-five finish of the 2012 season allowed Harvick to remain ninth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, and clinch a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
<.b>“This was just a great night for our Rheem team. We had a really good car in the first half of the race. It wasn’t bad in the second half, but with about 150 laps to go we just got too tight getting into the corner and never could get over that. I have to thank Gil (Martin, crew chief) for coming back. Things are going in the right direction and thanks to this solid run we have clinched a spot in The Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) and can head into the race next weekend at Richmond (International Raceway) with a little less pressure on the team.”