Harvick Finishes 20th at Martinsville

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), raced as high as third before he suffered a pit road penalty and had to battle back during a long green-flag run to finish 20th in Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Harvick started from 20th position and raced his way inside the top-five by lap 73 and up to third by lap 103.

The 2014 Sprint Cup champion came to pit road under caution on lap 134 for a four-tire pit stop. Unfortunately, he was penalized by NASCAR for being too fast in section one of pit road while entering. The penalty dropped the No. 4 team from fourth all the way back to the 26th position for the restart on lap 140.

The Bakersfield, California, native raced his way back up to the 13th position on lap 215, before the handling went away on the No. 4 and Harvick reported that the car was tight in the center and loose off. He dropped a lap to the leaders on lap 282 and a second lap down on lap 353.

Harvick raced hard the remainder of the race and finished 20th at the checkered flag.

“We were slow all weekend,” said Harvick, who won the Sprint Cup race Martinsville in April 2011. “We could just never get the handle on it.”

Harvick led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday at Martinsville.

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