Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy John’s team finished 19th during the Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway after battling an unfavorable handling race car for the majority of the 400-lap event. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the race from the third position and moved into second as soon as the green flag fell over the 43-car field. Soon after taking over the second position, Harvick reported to the crew that his Jimmy John’s Chevrolet had become loose on entrance and exit of the turns, and tight in the center. During a competition caution on lap 50 the Shane Wilson-led crew made a chassis adjustment and changed four tires while filling the car with fuel. Harvick restarted the race in the fourth position and ran within the top five until the team came to pit road for the third time on lap 228. The crew continued working to alleviate the handling issues Harvick was facing by making air pressure and chassis adjustments, along with adding fuel and four fresh tires. The 36-year-old driver returned to the track in the eighth position, and slowly began to fall further back in the pack as the changes made didn’t seem to help the issues the car had developed throughout the race. Continuing to fight for track position during the waning laps, the veteran driver ultimately crossed the finish line 19th. Harvick dropped one position, to seventh, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 25 points behind the leader.
Start - 3 Finish - 19 Laps Led -13 Points - 7
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“This certainly was not the night we were planning on. The Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was good during the first run of the race, but we couldn’t find the right setup to be there in the end. We made some mistakes tonight, and as a team, we really need to work on keeping the mistakes to a minimum if we’re going to win races this season.”