Harvick Finishes Runner-Up at Dover

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Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 ditech Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished second in the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway Sunday afternoon. Harvick scored his ninth top-two finish in the 13 points-paying races of 2015.

Harvick started sixth and raced his way to fourth by the second caution on lap 164. Having previously pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 159, the No. 4 ditech team stayed out under caution, but Harvick reported that the in-car track-bar controls were not functioning properly.

The reigning Sprint Cup champion restarted fourth, but he raced his way to the lead by lap 259 and remained there until pitting under green-flag conditions on lap 324. He regained the lead on lap 358 as the pit cycle concluded and remained the leader until the lap-383 restart. Two more cautions followed, on lap 387 and lap 400, respectively. A multicar accident set up a three-lap dash to the finish.

The Bakersfield, California, native started fourth in the outside lane for the green-white-checkered finish and was able to pass Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson on the restart to cross the finish line in second place.

“We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts,” said Harvick, who recorded his fourth top-five finish in 29 career points races at Dover. “Once the track bar broke, we were pretty much in a box and just kind of had to hold on for the first 25 laps, and if we weren’t in the front then we struggled to just maintain what we had. All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it’s been a good racetrack for us. We’ve led laps and just haven’t quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day.”

Harvick led twice for 91 laps to bring his laps-led total at Dover to 483. He has now led 1,123 total laps through the first 13 races of 2015, eclipsing his laps-led total for every Sprint Cup season with the exception of last year, when he led 2,137 laps en route to the Sprint Cup championship.

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