Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team finished 28th after being collected in the “big one” during Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race under the lights at Daytona International Speedway. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the 100-lap event from the fourth position and remained near the top 10 early in the event, while swapping drafting partners and protecting his ECR engine from the high temperatures of superspeedway pack racing. Harvick worked his way toward the front of the field when he was collected in the “big one” on lap 67, a wreck which involved 14 cars and sent the yellow and black Chevrolet to the garage for repair to the extensive damage on the front end of the Richard Childress Racing machine. The Ernie Cope-led crew worked on the front end of the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet before sending Harvick back on track for the lap-88 restart in the 31st position, 17 laps down to the leader. Harvick gained track position in the final laps, ultimately crossing the finish line in the 28th position.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“This was not the way the Rheem/Menards team and I were hoping to end things tonight. We had a fast car in practice and qualifying, and ran near front of the field during the race until we got caught up in that wreck. But that is all part of superspeedway racing, one moment you’re leading the field and the next you’re running mid-pack and get caught up in a wreck.”