HOMESTEAD, Fla. (November 21, 2010) – Returning to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time since 2006 and for the first time in a Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick started the Ford 300 from the seventh position, led 17 laps and came up one position shy of his fourth Nationwide Series win of the 2010 season.
“We had a really good car, but we did not need the last caution late in the race,” said Harvick following 200 laps of racing. “On the final restart, my car got too tight and Kyle (Busch) was able to get out far enough that we could not catch him. We just came up a little short in the end.”
Strapping in to the No. 33 KHI Jimmy John’s Chevrolet for the final time of the 2010 season, Harvick started the Ford 300 from seventh and by lap 10 radioed crew chief Ernie Cope that the car was too tight. Taking over fourth on lap 16, the second caution of the race waved on lap 21. Making the first scheduled stop of the day, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment to help the handling of the car. With the No. 7 car opting not to pit, Harvick restarted the race fifth on lap 27.
Driving a fast car, Harvick was able to take over second on lap 29, but after another caution on lap 30, Harvick fell to fourth on the restart. Several laps later, the caution flag waved for the fourth time and again, the team opted to stay out on track and restarted the race fourth on lap 45. With a solid restart, Harvick moved to the lead for the first time of the race on lap 46 before slipping to second on lap 48.
As the race continued, Harvick radioed Cope on lap 56 that the car was getting too loose. Four laps later, the caution was again displayed for a spin on the frontstretch with Harvick riding in the second position. For the second time of the race, Harvick brought the No. 33 car to pit road for four tires, fuel and another air-pressure adjustment. A solid stop by the team gained Harvick a position on pit road and on lap 65, he restarted the race in the second position after a car opted to stay on track instead of pit. Again, Harvick quickly moved to the lead on lap 66 before falling to second on lap 68.
Settling in for green-flag conditions, the caution waved again on lap 91 with Harvick in the second position. Radioing the team that the car was a touch too tight, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. As teams opted for various strategies, Harvick restarted third on lap 95 and moved into second on lap 97.
Continuing to battle eventual race winner Kyle Busch for the lead, Harvick continued to run second throughout most of the race.
The eighth caution of the race waved on lap 133 and with a loose-handling car, Harvick opted to pit for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. With a slow stop after a crew member got tripped up on pit road as he was rolling a tire to the wall, Harvick lost two spots and restarted the race fourth on lap 138. Wasting no time, Harvick moved back into second on lap 139 behind Busch.
Having put on the last set of sticker tires and close to making it to the end of the race on fuel, Harvick immediately went into fuel conservation mode as he continued to run in second. With several late race cautions, Harvick was able to save fuel and with a fast car, moved back into the lead on lap 170. The race restarted for the final time on lap 177 and battling the No. 18 car for the lead, Harvick slipped to second on lap 178. In the final laps of the 200-lap event, the No. 33 car became too tight and Harvick crossed the finish line second behind Busch. The 2010 Nationwide Series Driver’s Champion Brad Keselowski finished third followed by the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top five.
The No. 33 KHI Nationwide Series team finished the season with a career best third-place finish with team co-owner DeLana Harvick in the Nationwide Series Owner’s Point Standings on the strength of three wins, four poles, 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes with five different drivers, Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Ron Hornaday, Mike Bliss and Max Papis.
About Jimmy John’s:
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches was founded in 1983 by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud in a converted garage in Charleston, IL. Since its inception, the company has grown to over 1,000 corporate and franchised locations in more than 37 states throughout the U.S. The company is known for its obsession with fresh, quality products and high-speed execution. For more information, visit www.jimmyjohns.com.
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.
