Tag Archives: Paul Menard

Kevin Harvick Dominates Dover to Preserve Sprint Cup Title Hopes

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By Jove, he’s done it again!

Forced to win at Dover International Speedway to keep his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes alive Sunday, Kevin Harvick did just that, dominating Sunday’s AAA 400 to stave off elimination from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

In a virtual carbon copy of last year’s Chase race at Phoenix, where the 2014 premier series champion had to win to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Harvick led 355 of 400 laps – a career best at any track – in winning for the third time this year and the 31st time in his career.

“I think we’re better than we were last year, just because of the experiences and things that we’ve had,” Harvick said after the race. “I think when we look at everything that’s gone on over the last couple of years, it’s just been a lot of fun.

“So, it’s just that never-quit attitude. That’s what (team co-owner) Tony Stewart said when we went to Homestead last year. He said, ‘Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag.’”

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: AAA 400

The Place: Dover International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Oct. 4

The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (400 laps)

 

Harvick on the Ropes Heading into Dover

Defending champion Kevin Harvick has two options heading into Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway – the first cutoff race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – win or go home.

The No. 4 Chevrolet driver ranks 15th out of 16 drivers on the Chase Grid and sits 23 points below 12th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cutoff line. He mathematically can still make the Contender Round on points, but it would be a tough task, requiring him to jump three drivers.

Basically, if Harvick doesn’t visit Victory Lane, he is out of NASCAR’s playoffs as one of the four winless drivers lowest in points. Continue reading →

Fuel Shortage Puts Harvick in Dire Straits, Kenseth in Victory Lane

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Kevin Harvick clarified his championship status on Sunday—but not the way he had planned.

After dominating the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for most of the afternoon, Harvick ran out of fuel while leading on lap 298 of 300, handing the top spot and the victory to Matt Kenseth, who joined teammate Denny Hamlin as an automatic qualifier for the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Despite leading 216 laps on Sunday, Harvick, the defending series champion, heads to next Sunday’s Chase race at Dover almost certainly needing a victory at a track where he has never won, to escape the Challenger Round of the Chase and keep his title hopes alive.

Kenseth, who came to pit road for fuel and tires on lap 239, triumphed for the fifth time this season (tops in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series), for the second time at the Magic Mile and for the 36th time in his career. He finished 8.941 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who nursed his car to a runner-up finish despite a late-race issue with the right front wheel. Continue reading →

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Preview

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: MyAFibRisk.com 400

The Place: Chicagoland Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Sept. 20

The Time: 3 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)

 

‘Chasing’ Earnhardt And Petty: Johnson Sets Sites on Seventh Series Title

Ten races separate Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup No. 1 seed Jimmie Johnson from potential immortality. If Johnson wins NASCAR’s 16-driver, four-knockout round playoff, he will capture his seventh series title, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the all-time lead.

Johnson begins his quest in Sunday’s MyAFibRisk.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. He has never won at the Windy City track, but boasts seven top-fives, and seven top-tens to go along with the series-best average running position (7.129) and driver rating (115.5) there. Chicago remains one of four active tracks at which Johnson has not won – Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen.

The No. 48 Chevrolet driver has won four races this season, but has made 13 starts since his last victory. He tends to elevate his élite skill to an even higher level during NASCAR’s playoffs though, as he leads all drivers with 25 total Chase wins.

Johnson is the only driver to make all 12 Chases since NASCAR first implemented the playoff format in 2004. Click here to see how others compare to Johnson in terms of Chases made. Continue reading →

Paul Menard is Stepping it Up a Little Bit in the Chase – It All Begins at Chicagoland Speedway

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A fan holds a cardboard cutout of Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, during the Chase for the Sprint Cup post race party after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2015 Photo - Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

A fan holds a cardboard cutout of Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, during the Chase for the Sprint Cup post race party after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 12, 2015 Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Get ready fans, the Chase is about to go full force ahead at Chicagoland Speedway and the new guys are aligning themselves and their teams into position to compete against the bigger, more experienced teams with hopes of emerging as the underdogs and going for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

Overall this season, Richard Childress Racing teams have fared well, and now have two teams in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. One of those teams is the No. 27 of Paul Menard, who is contending in the Chase for the first time.  Continue reading →