Kevin Harvick won all three stages of the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway on Sunday en route to capturing his fourth NASCAR Cup Series race of the season.
Harvick led 201 of the 400 laps in the race on the way to a 7.45 second victory over Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, who finished in a distant second place. It was Harvick’s second career win at Dover, and his 41st career NASCAR victory.
Stewart-Haas Racing Dominates Standings
Bowyer also led for 40 laps, and had the lead heading into a rain delay that took place after 320 laps of the race. But Harvick had little trouble passing his teammate and heading home for victory once the race resumed.
“It’s fun racing your teammate,” Harvick said after the race. “To be able to race with [Bowyer] is a lot of fun, and I’d much rather keep it within the house than racing with somebody else.”
The race was largely dominated by Stewart-Haas Racing. Along with Harvick and Bowyer, fellow teammate Kurt Busch also finished fifth to give the team three top-five finishers. Also in the top five were Daniel Suarez, who finished third, and Martin Truex Jr., who took fourth place.
“I want to thank everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, everybody at Ford for just continuing to put the effort they put into these cars,” said Harvick. “Three cars in the top five says a lot about where we are as a company.”
Larson Hurt By Penalties
Sunday’s race wasn’t a good one for leaders. Kyle Larson earned the pole position in qualifying, but started from the back of the pack after his car failed three pre-race inspections. Larson later got a penalty for an uncontrolled tire during a green-flag pit stop. He was able to fight his way back onto the lead lap, but ultimately finished in 10th place.
NASCAR Cup Series leader Kyle Busch also had a rough day. While he qualified in fourth, he was forced out of the race after his drive shaft broke during Lap 272. Busch had been complaining about vibrations for much of the race, and was running third when he was forced out of action in 35th place.
Despite the disappointing result, Busch remains the NASCAR Cup Series leader with 466 points. Joey Logano, who finished 13th at Dover, remains in second place ahead of Harvick and Bowyer.
Harvick’s win follows an earlier streak of three consecutive victories in February and March. For his team, the most exciting part of their run this year is that they think they can continue to improve as the season goes on.
“The biggest thing is we haven’t went back and talked about the races that we’ve won,” said Rodney Childers, Harvick’s crew chief. “To keep this going, we’re going to have to get a lot better every single week and to keep it where it needs to be when the championship comes around.
The hot start to the season has made Harvick the man to beat in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series. William Hill has Harvick as the 11/4 favorite to walk away with the series championship, ahead of Kyle Busch (7/2) and Truex (4/1).
