USA TODAY US Edition

Harvick earns first win of year

- Brant James bjames@usatoday.com

Tony Stewart’s grin contrasted with Clint Bowyer’s expression as he eased in close on pit road at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday.

Stewart-Haas Racing ’s Kevin Harvick had won for the first time this season, leading the last 21 laps to virtually ensure his perennial appearance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff. Bowyer, in his first season replacing Stewart, a three-time champion, had finished second. With the number of races dwindling — 10 until the postseason begins — chances like these were becoming more precious.

“He was 33rd after the second stage. It wasn’t trick pit strategy that got him up there,” Stewart said of Bowyer. “He drove himself up to second, so it’s pretty damn impressive, I think.”

Stewart was soon on to the next chat, this one with Harvick’s No. 4 Ford crew in victory lane, and the peace of mind that will come with shifting priorities for the playoffs.

“It’s nice to check it off the list, because it just takes a lot of pressure off,” said Stewart, whose win here last year was

the final Cup victory of his career. “You can worry about getting ready for the (playoffs). That’s a big check mark to get.

“You just get to keep going forward. You can’t sit on anything. You have to keep pressing and working hard to get everything ready for the (playoffs), but you can shift gears from having to win a race and lock yourself in to now trying some extra things you may not have the ability to try (without the win).”

It was a productive afternoon for SHR, which has half of its lineup in the postseason — Kurt Busch won the Daytona 500 — in its first year with Ford. With his second runner-up finish of the season, Bowyer advanced a spot in points, one slippery rock from the edge of the playoff boundary. A win wouldn’t seem unreasonab­le. Danica Patrick started sixth and raced through the field twice to finish 17th after being involved in two accidents not of her doing.

Harvick alluded to the difficulty of the season, though, particular­ly the task of changing engine manufactur­ers from Chevrolet and everything that entailed. That will eventually become a testament to the quality and resilience of the organizati­on, he said.

SHR also has experience­d sponsor problems and industry speculatio­n that Patrick will not return for the final year of her contract because her performanc­e has stagnated.

Stewart wasn’t interested in that topic. “I don’t read the ( Sports)Busi

ness Journal. Are you kidding me? I don’t even read the paper,” he said with a grin, still walking toward victory lane.

Surely, a co-owner would get to help decide such things, though?

“What days I want to come to the track is about all they let me decide on now,” he said.

Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers now have a say in deciding the Cup champion again. Before the season, Harvick wasn’t so certain he would with so much change afoot. Although he averaged four wins in each of his three seasons with SHR — five in capturing a first Cup championsh­ip in his 2014 debut — anxiety had grown. He had been competitiv­e in numerous races but had been undone by penalties or accidents. He’s third in the driver standings, and his 10 top-10s are one off the series lead.

“I felt like I knew we were going to win again just for the fact that our cars were running good,” Harvick said. “Pocono and Michigan, our cars were fast the last couple weeks, and all weekend here our cars have been good. Our speedway cars have been good.

“I felt like three or four races where we had the best cars (and) we wrecked out and had the speeding penalty at Atlanta after leading 300 some laps.

“It’s been a good year, we just hadn’t been to victory lane, and today it all went our way. And hopefully we’ve gotten all that bad luck out of the way and we can enjoy days like this where it all goes our way and capitalize on the fastest car.”

 ?? KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Stewart-Haas Racing ’s Kevin Harvick leads en route to his first victory of 2017.
KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS Stewart-Haas Racing ’s Kevin Harvick leads en route to his first victory of 2017.
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 ?? KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Kevin Harvick celebrates his first win of 2017 and likely locking up a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth.
KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS Kevin Harvick celebrates his first win of 2017 and likely locking up a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth.

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