It’s not a stretch to think Harvick could win at Dover, where he is a former victor. “I’ve won championships this way”, Johnson said.
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Dover has always been the track that Jimmie Johnson built. His 10 wins there is a hard stat to argue against. “I’m not a fan of fuel mileage races but it’s a part of the sport”. You know, that’s their deal. That No. 4 team was flawless on Sunday. But we would lose track position and be in long lines on the restarts. Kevin drove flawlessly. The pit crew performed flawlessly.
Harvick led the pack for 354 laps. “He said, “Whatever you do, do not quit until they throw that checkered flag”. Well, the answer to that question was, “Absolutely nothing”.
“I guess that it’s what it feels like to hit a walkoff in extra innings”, Harvick said after the victory. Dover is concrete. Dover is high-banked and fast.
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, races Dale Earnrhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Plenti Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover worldwide Speedway on October 4, 2015 in Dover, Delaware. Getting on pit road is treacherous. The vehicle scored well in a test at team co-owner Gene Haas’s Windshear wind tunnel, but had not turned a wheel since being re-bodied.
When Harvick poked Johnson in the chest in the motor home parking lot after the Chicago race, it was a rare flashback to the days he sought post-race fights.
That’s what made what Kevin did Sunday so impressive. And were it not for misfortune and injudicious decision-making, Harvick conceivably could have could have swept all three Round 1 races.
The key to surviving the first two rounds of the Chase is simple.
A stop for a splash of gas ended any chance for a win and resulted in a 10th-place finish. “It doesn’t mean that still things aren’t going to go on, but I think it’s going to be better for NASCAR, better for the front row and better for the whole field”. He has one win this year and he is a one-time victor at Dover.
Not only did he win, he did so by leading all but 44 laps of the entire race.
Harvick was too hot to do it Sunday.
NOTABLE FINISHES: 11-Truex Jr.
As for Johnson, one more big moment eluded him.
I also want to make mention of Aric Almirola.
The race victor was Harvick, who needed to finish first to advance. “I don’t know the answer to that 100 percent”. He’s got to either win of the next two races, or be as close to ideal as possible to continue his Chase. Logano has been the one driver all season that has dared to disrupt the JGR streak of dominance. “We’ve got good cars sitting at the shop, but we definitely have had to show more in the past two weeks than what we really wanted to”. Paul Menard and Clint Bowyer join McMurray and Johnson as the four drivers that will not be moving on to the next round. Harvick started the race 15th, but by lap 24, he took the lead and built a three-second cushion up front by a competition caution on lap 40. No one, not the Gibbs Toyotas, not the Penske Fords or the Hendrick Chevys, appeared to have a way to beat Harvick’s Chevy. Just because we are starting a brand-new round, don’t expect the emotion and tension to ease up.
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All of this had Childers anxious on Saturday night.
