KEVIN HARVICK POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Ford Fusion – TELL US ABOUT YOUR LAP: “It was a good lap. It is a good starting position and I am looking forward to the weekend. We got it off to a good start.”
DID YOU ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE KILL SWITCH ON YOUR RUN? “I did. It wound up not being where we lost the time but I went from when I had it in first gear, I went to just stretch my arm and I flicked my fingers and it flipped the kill switch. I was still on the apron though.”
IT WASN’T ANYTHING THAT KILLED YOUR LAP? “No, I was mad at myself for doing it because at the time you look down and see a 22 and the pole was a 17 on my dash. We lost the speed off of turn four.”
FORD WITH THE TOP FIVE SPOTS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN. IS IT GREAT TO BE ON THE WINNING SIDE? “It is. I think everyone has done a lot of work and days like today are days that really show up from all the hard works from the engine shop and you saw a lot of the same display last week at Talladega from the engines to the oils and the preparation of getting the cars up in the front of the field. It is a good start to the weekend. It gets you good pits stalls and allows you to get everything at the start of the race going and allows you to have a little buffer if your car is not handling right. Qualifying days and superspeedway races are a huge credit to the engine shop and the things they do. Our guys do a great job with the cars, qualifying or race trim, it makes it a lot of fun.”
HOW SIMILAR IS THE CAR TODAY COMPARED TO MAY? “I can’t even tell you the last time I have asked about our race car to be honest with you.”
DOES IT DRIVE THE SAME? “I can’t remember what I did last week. It better not drive the same as May because it was 80 degrees here last time. It should make more grip. It should have more speed. I think we qualified at like a 29 flat last time and just qualified at 28.20. The speeds are definitely way up when you get conditions like this. I would venture to say that nothing is very close from a downforce or car standpoint. I would say there are a lot of similarities but there are a lot of differences that go along with it from the progression of the year.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE IN THE ORGANIZATION TO HAVE FOUR CARS ALL LOOKING LIKE THEY CAN MOVE ON TO THE FINAL 8? “I think there is a number of pieces to that question. I think that the switch to Ford, I view it as a once in a lifetime opportunity for an organization to have the resources and financial backing and all the things that we got to gather and put within our own walls. I think that started last year. There was a lot of time, effort and work that went into switching over to Ford. Then it was, okay, how do we utilize all these details. They allow us so many more resources than what we had before within our own company. We have ownership that is willing to let us share that amongst our four cars and we aren’t looking for a partner to share information with. It is all within the walls of SHR. I think as it evolves and Ford is so committed to everything and as you have a problem, they come up with a solution. We come up with a solution and it fixes this piece and then it is another piece. It is a continuous line of solutions and there is always going to be hurdles and changes but the progression, even with the way we ran at the beginning of the year, there has been a progression with the cars and the engines and those are the types of things that you want to continue to see. I think that no alliance piece of it is better because we get to keep things amongst ourselves that aren’t share amongst eight cars, they are shared amongst four within our walls. Whether that is chassis, bodies, whatever the case may be. You have all those things and then you add Mobil 1 on top of that with all the things they do for us. There are a number of things that go well.”
YOU ARE THE LAST GUY THAT WAS IN A MUST-WIN AND WON. WHAT IS THAT LIKE TO GO THROUGH THAT? “Sometimes it is easier. There is only one way out. When your only way to advance is to win, that is what you plan your strategy, preparation, everything around. It is easier to think about one thing that it is to think about all those different scenarios that pop up when you are right on the bubble. Those are harder to deal with than a must-win scenario. My guys are really good at details and I think that is what sets us aside from a lot of people from a week to week basis. The details that they can go through. Nobody ever panics. Everybody is always calm. It is always just another situation. We have been fortunate to go through those situations and succeed in those situations. To me a must-win situation is easier to prepare for mentally because there is no other way out. Not to say that it isn’t stressful but your whole season rides on one race and you just go out there and do what you do. it is mentally easier to prepare for.”
WAS THAT DOVER WIN ONE OF THOSE SATISFYING WINS? “I think Phoenix in 2014 was probably the most satisfying. Having to win that race and then going on to win the championship.”
HOW MUCH HAS MOBIL 1 PLAYED A PART IN FINDING LITTLE EXTRA THINGS TO HELP WITH PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR? “They are so active in the things we do. They are truly in the trailer and have an analyzing station in the trailer to make sure that we don’t have any issues with transmissions or gears or anything. The commitment they have to making better lubricants and oils and things that we use is a daily commitment. I have never been around another oil manufacturer that has treated it like that. They are truly a part of the team and do a lot of really good things with the race team and believe in the racing program that it will help advance the things they do with their technology. It is good to have that on your side.”
