Tag Archives: Kevin Harvick

Problems at Kansas Put Elliott in Precarious Position Heading to Talladega

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Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet, talks with a crew member in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 14, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo - Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet, talks with a crew member in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 14, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Chris Trotman/Getty Images

In the first race of the Round of 12 last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott led 103 laps before a wreck on lap 258 ended his day and put the rookie driver three points behind the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 heading to Kansas Speedway.

Elliott qualified 13th for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 and was one of just three Chase drivers that started outside the top-12. Elliott cracked the top-three at lap 121 and passed Kevin Harvick for the lead on lap 169 of the 267-lap race before a left-rear tire issue resulted in an unscheduled pit stop. Elliott would lose a lap and return to the track one lap down in the 24th position.

The Dawsonville, Georgia native would get back on the lead lap under the seventh caution of the race at lap 222 but a second tire issue with 23 laps remaining forced the team to come to pit road for the second unscheduled stop of the afternoon. Continue reading →

Kevin Harvick Saves his Chase with Impressive Victory at Kansas

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He did it again.

Last in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings and faced with an uphill struggle to make the Round of 8, Kevin Harvick and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team did what they do best—win with their backs to the wall.

Moments after a restart on lap 238 of 267, Harvick cleared Carl Edwards for the lead through turns one and two at Kansas Speedway and pulled away to win Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 by 1.183 seconds. Continue reading →

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will race 400.5 miles over 267 laps in the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, October 16th at 2:15 pm ET at Kansas Speedway. Television coverage begins at 1:30 pm ET on NBC with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

What to Watch For: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for its second race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Round of 12. Jimmie Johnson leads the Chase Grid due to his win at Charlotte. He is followed by Matt Kenseth (31 points above Austin Dillon on the cutoff line), Kyle Busch (+27), Brad Keselowski (+25), Kurt Busch (+24), Carl Edwards (+20), Martin Truex Jr. (+19), Denny Hamlin (+3), Austin Dillon (three points behind Denny Hamlin on the cutoff line), Chase Elliott (-3), Joey Logano (-6) and Kevin Harvick (-8). Continue reading →

Stewart Haas Cars have Issues in Final Practice

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Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, stands by his car after an on-track incident during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo - Jeff Curry/Getty Images

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, stands by his car after an on-track incident during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 15, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jeff Curry/Getty Images

Kevin Harvick, who needs a strong finish on Sunday to climb out of the Chase cellar, brushed the outside wall ever so slightly in Saturday’s final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice at Kansas Speedway. But the No. 4 car sustained some appreciable damage after recording the fastest ten-lap average in the session at 183.740 mph.

Kurt Busch, Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, wasn’t as fortunate. After posting the third fastest single lap in happy Hour (185.797 mph), Busch blew his right front tire on the final lap of his closing run and dug the front of his No. 41 Chevrolet into the infield grass. Busch had to go to a backup car and will start Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 with no practice laps in the backup.

Pole winner Matt Kenseth was fastest in final practice at 186.361, an indication his car is equally stout in race trim.

Matt Kenseth Edges Teammate Kyle Busch for Kansas Pole

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KANSAS CITY, KS - OCTOBER 14: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DEWALT FLEXVOLT Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 14, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

KANSAS CITY, KS – OCTOBER 14: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 DEWALT FLEXVOLT Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole Award after qualifying in the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 14, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

To learn how to master the track that continued to jinx him, Kyle Busch paid close attention to the way Matt Kenseth drove Kansas Speedway.

Though Kenseth was helpful, he apparently kept a thousandth of a second in his pocket. That was the margin by which Kenseth edged Busch in Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series knockout qualifying session at the 1.5-mile track.

Touring Kansas in 28.112 seconds (192.089 mph) to Busch’s 28.113 seconds (192.082 mph), Kenseth earned the top starting spot for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (at 2:15 p.m. ET on NBC), the fifth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the second race in the Chase’s Round of 12. Continue reading →