Harvick hopes to put penalty in rear-view mirror
Artesia native Gray becomes NHRA’s youngest series champ
AVONDALE, Ariz. — The mood in the desert is tense headed into the final elimination race before NASCAR’s championship, a title Kevin Harvick is determined to win.
The 2014 champion is on a mission to lead his Stewart-Haas Racing team into the title race, prove they honestly are the best group in the garage and that a wave of adversity cannot unravel their success . NASCAR said the No. 4 team cheated in last weekend’s victory at Texas by building their own spoiler and passing it off as one supplied by the required vendor. The punishment was severe and put Harvick in danger of not qualifying for the championship.
But the road to the final four goes through ISM Raceway outside of Phoenix. It’s a track where Harvick has won nine times previously, including this year — a week after a different No. 4 Ford was found to be illegal following a victory. This track was critical in Harvick’s run to his first title four years ago when he had to win, and did, at Phoenix to advance to the championship round.
A win isn’t required today, and Harvick needs only to avoid any on-track issues to secure his ticket at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Only a quiet Sunday drive is not Harvick’s style.
He arrived in Phoenix without his crew chief and car chief, both suspended for the final two races of the season. The berth he’d earned into the final four by winning last week at Texas had been stripped away as punishment by NASCAR. His team has been branded a cheat.
The situation is less than ideal, and Harvick is not interested in discussing the penalty or the plight of his race team. He’s instead letting his performance speak for itself.
He went out and won the pole. Then he was fastest in both of Saturday’s practices.
Harvick is one of seven drivers racing today for three remaining spots in the finale. Only Joey Logano is locked in, and all three of Harvick’s teammates are vying for slots. The penalty issued Wednesday against Harvick not only cost him his automatic berth to Homestead, but the points deduction left him only three points above the cutline.
Lurking behind him is teammate Kurt Busch, who recognized the opportunity Harvick’s penalty opened for the last driver to win the Cup title in a Ford.
NHRA: In Pomona, Calif., Tanner Gray became the youngest NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season champion Saturday by qualifying at the seasonending Auto Club NHRA Finals.
The 19-year-old Pro Stock driver from New Mexico has seven victories this season. In the Countdown to the Championship, he has two wins and has topped the points throughout the playoffs.
“It has been a heck of a year,” said Gray, an Artesia native. “It started out pretty slow and I wasn’t quite sure it would end up here. About midseason we were able to find something, and everything seemed like it started clicking from there. We did so much testing at the beginning of the season and it really paid off. It was like a light flipped and everything started coming together.”
Jeg Coughlin Jr. took the No. 1 spot in Pro Stock qualifying with a 6.510-second run at 211.49 mph in a Chevrolet Camaro.
XFINITY: Christopher Bell saved his season by winning Saturday at ISM Raceway to snag a spot in the Series championship.
The victory was the serieshigh seventh of the season for Bell, last year’s Truck Series champion. He will race next Saturday for the crown against Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Tyler Reddick.