NASCAR Cup Series

Kevin Harvick played the pit strategy game correctly and made a pass for the lead in the closing laps to win for the first time in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS – Finished 6th - WITH 7 WINS ON FOX TV AS YOU ROUND OUT YOUR CAREER ON OUR HALF OF THE YEAR, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK TO THE PAST 17 YEARS, WHAT WILL STAND OUT THE MOST? WHAT WILL YOU BE MOST PROUD OF?“I think the wins and everything, are great."

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Fusion (Finished 1st) “I am so excited. I think as you look at it, getting our first win with Ford, this has been a great journey for us as an organization and team. Kurt winning the Daytona 500 and we have run well. Everybody from Bush, Jimmy John’s and Mobil 1, Outback, Hunt Brothers and everybody. It is a great day. It finally all came together and we were able to not have any cautions there at the end. Rodney had great strategy and I was able to take care of the car and get out front. I felt like the 78 was the car we had to race and then he had problems and from there we were in control.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 Furniture Row / Denver Mattress Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing - Starting Position: 3rd - How did your qualifying run go today? "It definitely hurt the tires to make an extra lap in the first round. I just didn’t get it all the first time — tried to save a little bit of tire. But if you don’t push it 100 percent here you lose a lot of time."

Kyle Larson drove his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS to the top spot in qualifying for the Toyota/SaveMart 350 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Sonoma Raceway with a fast lap of 75.177 seconds, 95.295 mph. His Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) teammate, Jamie McMurray, was right behind and placed his No. 1 Cessna Chevrolet SS in the second spot to give CGR and Team Chevy a front row-qualifying sweep for Sunday’s race.

Despite a botched entry into the final turn, Kyle Larson won the pole for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 after posting the fastest time in the final round of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Sonoma Raceway.

DANICA PATRICK, No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion (Qualified 6th) “We haven’t exactly been sixth all season so this is good. It is really nice to do well for Code 3 here. The cars have really improved in the last few years on road courses from when I first came to the team. The guys do a good job giving us something we can hit curbs with and be aggressive."

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER - DID YOU THINK YOU THREW AWAY YOUR LAP IN A WHEEL HOP? “The whole lap actually felt pretty bad. I messed up into (Turn) 1 and into (Turn) 2 and was out a little bit too far. Yeah, I felt like I gave up enough there that I wouldn’t have a shot at the pole. I thought maybe I’d maintain and run about the same lap time as the previous run.

With the 2017 season nearing the halfway mark and Dale Earnhardt Jr. retiring at the end of it, the retirement gifts for NASCAR's favorite driver will come in greater frequency if past history is any indicator.

Kyle Larson topped the chart in final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Sonoma Raceway.