Harvick Wins Nationwide Race At Bristol Motor Speedway

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Kevin Harvick hugged his wife, glanced at his homegrown crew and took a big breath.
After 42 attempts, Harvick finally realized a dream by winning in his own car Saturday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Finally, we got this one out of the way,” Harvick said.

Harvick led the final 45 laps en route to claiming the Scotts Turf Builder 300 Nationwide Series race before an estimated crowd of 101,000.

Before deciding to form his own team last season, Harvick won 32 Nationwide races driving a car owned by Richard Childress. Harvick has also won 11 Sprint Cup races, and he owns the truck that Ron Hornaday drove to the Camping World Truck Series championship last season.

Judging by his emotional reaction, it was clear that Harvick’s latest achievement was different.

DeLana Harvick, listed as the official owner of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet, joined her husband in the Victory Lane ceremonies.

“DeLana and I have built this company basically from dirt,” Harvick said. “It kind of started as a hobby. We built a shop and just kind of had fun with it.
“The cars have been really good. I’ve put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself over the last year or so, but the reward was well worth it.”

Kevin and DeLana Harvick both grew up in racing families. They formed their company after building a shop once owned by Busch Series driver Ed Berrier.
“This is very emotional,” Delana Harvick said. “Kevin has tried so hard for so long with his own stuff. Everything happens for a reason, and today was Kevin’s day.”

Points leader Carl Edwards finished second, with Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth and rookie Justin Allgaier rounding out the top five.

The other storyline centered around Kyle Busch, who led three times for 156 laps but had to settle for a sixth place finish

Busch executed passes on the high and low side of the track, yet his chances for victory were ruined thanks to a botched pit stop on lap 258. As the fans cheered, Busch was sent to the back of the field after his crew allowed a tire to roll from his pit stall. Busch openly expressed his frustration to spotter Jeff Dickerson.

There were 28 laps remaining when the race was halted after a six-car incident on lap 263. Busch weaved and worked through the field before running out of laps.
While Busch was unavailable for comment after the race, his crew chief Jason Ratcliff offered an explanation,

“We had a good car. Kyle drove the wheels off of it,” Ratcliff said. “When you work hard and you don’t get your rewards it’s frustrating.
“It’s frustrating for him, it’s frustrating for this race team but we’ll move on. We’ll figure out what we need to do in that same situation next time a tire gets away.”

Edwards who qualified second to Brendan Gaughan, managed to see the big picture.

“We almost got the pole and the win, but it was a great points day for us,” Edwards said.

As for the hard luck of Busch, Edwards admitted it was a “gift” when NASCAR decided to penalize Busch.

Nothing could take away the sense of accomplishment from Harvick, who survived a faulty alternator and was helped by flawless execution by his crew on his final pit stop.

“It’s very gratifying when you achieve something you set out to do like this,” Harvick said.

The race was slowed by 10 cautions for 62 laps.

The local contingent of drivers experienced mixed results. Abingdon’s Eric McClure finished 26th, while Coeburn’s Danny O’Quinn was 37th.

Brad Teague, of Johnson City, Tenn., was among seven drivers who failed to qualify Saturday morning.\

African-American driver Marc Davis finished 27th in his Bristol Motor Speedway debut, while Knoxville’s Trevor Bayne finished 23rd in his first Nationwide race.

Jason Keller qualified third and finished 28th in a Ford owned by former Bristol Motor Speedway owner Gary Baker.

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544