Kevin Harvick dominates at Dover for his latest victory
Harvick dominates at Dover for another win
DOVER, Del. — Kevin Harvick was flanked by his Stewart-Haas Racing team on the victory lane stage Sunday at Dover International Speedway when a photographer yelled a question at the group.
“What are you holding up?”
“Four!” they shouted in unison.
Harvick, team co-owner Tony Stewart and the rest flashed their fingers Four Horsemen-style and let out a “Wooo!” a la professional wrestling legend Ric Flair before they uncorked the champagne and sprayed anyone in their sights.
The checkered flag collection keeps growing for SHR, and leading the way is Harvick, who dominated a race interrupted by rain and drove to his Cup Series-leading fourth victory of the season.
“I feel like we’re playoff racing on a weekly basis,” Harvick said.
In the first month of the schedule, he reeled off three straight wins — at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ISM Raceway in the Phoenix area — and now he has the 60-pound Miles the Monster trophy to add to his collection.
He brought a similar prize home after his first win at Dover, the concrete track known as “The Monster Mile,” in October 2015 — only to have his young son break the arm on the fiberglass creature that was never cleaned from the victory celebration.
“I’m bringing it home, but do not break the arm off of this one,” Harvick said he told his son. “It’s hard to explain to people why his playroom smells like beer.”
Harvick swept the first two stages Sunday and easily chased down SHR teammate Clint Bowyer in the third for the lead after a 41-minute weather delay. Bowyer, who won at Martinsville Speedway in March to snap a 190race losing streak dating to 2012, had asked for a rain dance when the cars were stopped with 80 laps left, knowing he would benefit from a called race.
Once it resumed, Harvick waltzed his way into victory lane in the No. 4 Ford. He led 201 of 400 laps, storming past Bowyer to take the lead for good with 62 laps left and holding four fingers out
of his window while making his way to the celebration.
“You knew he was going to be the one that you were going to have to beat for the win,” Bowyer said.
Harvick’s 41st victory of his Cup Series career gives the 2014 season champion a stout nine top-10 finishes and eight top-fives in 11 starts this year.
Bowyer held on for second as Daniel Suarez, Martin Truex Jr. and SHR’s Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.
“Three cars in the top five says a lot about where we are as a company,” Harvick said. “It’s fun racing your teammate.”
SHR, which has five wins in 2018, has never won more than six races in a season in its 10-year history.
“It’s days like today that builds momentum for the organization,” Stewart said. “It’s about evolution.”
Seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, the record-holding 11-time winner at Dover, was ninth for his third top-10 finish this year, but his career-worst winless streak extended to 34 races.
Kyle Busch, a three-time winner this season, failed to finish a race for the first time in 2018 after a drive shaft broke on the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota. Busch, who had complained of a vibration for most of the race, was running third when the part finally failed and dumped oil across the track.
Kyle Larson qualified Friday for pole position, but he was sent to the back of the field because the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times. Fellow Chevy drivers Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon also were sent to the rear because of inspection failure.
Bowman and Larson lost their car chiefs for the race, and both teams were docked 30 minutes of practice next week at Kansas Speedway.
Larson finished 10th, Bowman 23rd and Dillon 26th.