Harvick Battles Back from Electrical Fire to Finish Fifth at Dover
Misses Taming ‘The Monster Mile’ for His First Nationwide Series Win at the Track
Dover, Del. (September 26, 2010) – Looking to tame ‘The Monster Mile’ of Dover (Del.) International Speedway for the first time, Kevin Harvick inched his way closer with a fifth-place finish in the No. 33 Kevin Harvick 10th Anniversary Fan Club Chevrolet.
“That’s a good comeback for our team,” said Harvick following the race. “We had the issue with the air conditioner catching fire, but once the smoke cleared from the car, everything seemed to be okay. The guys did a great job sticking with the plan and worked hard to get us back in the top five. I have to thank all of the fans. We had a really cool paint scheme on the car to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Kevin Harvick Fan Club. It’s something the fans have asked for for a long time and I hope they enjoyed it.”
Starting the race from the ninth position, Harvick patiently worked his way to the sixth position on lap 20, and as the race continued under a long green-flag run, maintained his position. As teams began to discuss making green-flag pit stops, the first caution waved on lap 70 for a single-car accident, giving teams the opportunity to pit for the first time during the 200-lap event. With the car handling well, the team brought Harvick to pit road for four tires, fuel and no adjustments. A solid stop by the No. 33 team lined Harvick up in the sixth position on the lap 75 restart.
Gaining a position a lap, Harvick took over fourth on lap 77. As the run continued, Harvick radioed the team on lap 86 that the car was a little too tight and on lap 112, the second caution flag of the race waved. Harvick pitted under the caution for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. Another fast stop by the team kept Harvick in the fourth position on the lap 117 restart.
Jumping to second on the restart behind eventual winner Kyle Busch, Harvick quickly slipped back to fourth by lap 120.
As the race appeared to be shaping up to be a quiet, solid day for the No. 33 team, things quickly changed on lap 133 when Harvick suddenly slowed on the track and radioed the team that the car was on fire. As the cockpit of the car filled with smoke, Harvick told the team he thought he had an electrical fire and dropped the window net to release the smoke as he made his way around the bottom line of the race track. Catching a break, the caution flag waved at the same time for a multiple car accident in turn four that put the race under red-flag conditions for clean up. With the fire appearing to be out, the smoke out of the car and everything working properly, the team made the call to bring Harvick to pit road on lap 137 for four tires and fuel, as well as to check the car over and rehook the window net. Following the stop, Harvick restarted the race 15th on lap 141 with 17 cars on the lead lap.
Mired in the middle of the field, Harvick began to work his way through traffic and was scored in the 13th position on lap 160 when the caution again waved for a multi-car incident. Opting to pit for the final time, the team made a routine stop four tires and fuel, maintaining their position in the field. Harvick restarted from the 13th position on lap 165.
With the laps winding down, Harvick moved into 10th on lap 166 and with five laps remaining in the race, moved into the fifth spot. Holding on to his position, Harvick crossed the finish line solidly in fifth.
Busch recorded his 11th Nationwide Series win of the season, making history as he passed Sam Ard for the most wins in a single season. Joey Logano finished second followed by Carl Edwards and Reed Sorenson.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.:
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001 by Kevin and DeLana Harvick, is an 80,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. Home of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship team, KHI enters 2010 in its seventh full year of competition with two full-time Truck Series teams and one full-time Nationwide Series team. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday returns to the helm of the No. 33 Truck team looking for his fifth title and third championship for KHI (2009 and 2007), while Sprint Cup series stars Kevin Harvick and Elliott Sadler guide the No. 2 Truck team. Two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Harvick will again shine as the lead driver of the No. 33 Nationwide Series team as he continues to make his mark in motorsports and establish KHI as one of the top teams in NASCAR competition. For more information about KHI and its teams, please visit www.KevinHarvickInc.com.
