Kevin Harvick has joined a very exclusive club!
After placing second on Sunday at Charlotte, Harvick became the 13th driver in NASCAR’s modern era (1972-present) to collect 20 top-five finishes in a season. The other drivers to achieve the feat include: Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Jimmie Johnson.
If Harvick can finish within the top five in the final six races he will tie Jeff Gordon’s record for most top fives in a modern era season – 26 in 1998.
Harvick’s Charlotte result also earned him his 11th runner-up of the season, the most since Bobby Allison logged 12 in 1972. The No. 4 Chevrolet driver boasts 14 top-two finishes this season, double the total of the next-highest driver (Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson, 7).
Harvick heads to Kansas ranked second on the Chase Grid – 13 points above the cutoff line. In 19 career starts at Kansas, he boasts one win (fall 2013), four top fives, six top 10s and the track’s second-best average finish (9.4).
Another Milestone: In addition to his impressive finish totals, Harvick has led 2,031 laps – his second straight season with over 2,000 laps led. The last driver to lead 2,000 laps or more in consecutive seasons was Jeff Gordon (1995-96).
So if you are looking for a favorite to leave Homestead with the hardware in tow, look no further than the Stewart-Haas Racing #4 Budwieser/Jimmy John’s team. In spite of the fact that it was six months between victories, and notwithstanding the fact that it was a must win situation for Harvick at Dover to advance to the next round, this team has been running very consistent all season and was in a position to win many races throughout the year.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
