HOMESTEAD, Fla.: A decision to stay out longer than the rest of their Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff competitors during Stage 3 of Sunday night’s Ford EcoBoost 400 didn’t pay off for Kevin Harvick and his Stewart Haas Racing team in pursuit of their second championship.
With qualifying getting replaced by just one-practice session on Saturday afternoon, many believed that Harvick and his No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Mustang would have the best car when it counted most, but an uncharacteristic season-finale had Harvick chasing his car, along with the competition.
Harvick took the lead on the opening lap of the race and led the first 20 laps until Martin Truex Jr. took over and dominated Stage 1. Harvick finished fourth, but third amongst the Championship 4 challengers.
With adjustments from crew chief Rodney Childers in his 500th Cup Series race, the handling improved on the No. 4 Ford Mustang allowing Harvick to dice it up with eventual champion Kyle Busch.
Harvick took the lead shortly after a restart and held onto the lead for 13 laps until Busch passed him ago to win Stage 2.
Keeping the spirit of the Championship 4 battle alive heading into Stage 3, Harvick restarted second but spun the tires and got knocked sideways with an aggressive push. While able to recover from the crazy restart – handling problems continued to haunt the No. 4 team throughout Stage 3.
With a long green-flag look and as final pit stops began to cycle, Childers took a gamble hoping to trap his competition by staying out longer and forcing them to lose valuable track position.
The eight-lap roll of the dice from Lap 215 to 222 didn’t pay off though and Harvick pitted but himself lost track position that he couldn’t get back without a caution.
With just three cautions the entire 267-lap, Stage 3 went green for 101 consecutive laps putting Harvick outside the top-10.
Over the final 45 laps of the race, Harvick made considerable gains on the track, unlapping himself and clawing back inside the top-10 and his car was the best it handled all night but without a caution, the damage had been done and Harvick settled for fourth and third in the championship behind champion Kyle Busch and second-place finisher and title contender Martin Truex Jr.
“We just needed to do something different,” said Harvick after the race. “Those guys, they were so much better than us on the long run. Really our best chance was to have a caution there at the end and never got one.
“We just did something different hoping for a caution, and that’s what you’re supposed to do in those late situations like that. Just do the opposite of the cars you’re trying to race, and it just didn’t work out.”
Racing against three of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers’, Harvick said he never felt outnumbered – three against one – but rather individual battles.
“Not really,” he said. “I mean, you race against it really turns into individual battles. I’d even say those guys are all racing for each other and trying to win a championship. Never really looked at it quite that way.”
As for the pace of the race, Harvick said the race got quickly spread out, especially during the third stage which left little opportunity for his second Cup Series championship.
“I mean, my car didn’t drive very well, and it looked like mine drove a lot better than most of them, and there was no you didn’t see very many tire marks against the wall or anything like that,” added Harvick.
“So, I don’t know just no cautions and nothing happening. Just when that happens, you know, you just get spread out.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
