Date: Oct. 22, 2017
Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 32 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Start/Finish: 2nd/8th (Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
Point Standing: 4th with 4,017 points, 52 out of first; Advances to Round of 8
Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):
● Kevin Harvick started second, finished second and earned nine bonus points.
● The Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion ran in the second position for the majority of Stage 1.
● The No. 4 Ford pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments during a lap-46 caution to correct tight-handling conditions.
● Harvick restarted from eighth and quickly piloted the “freaky fast” Ford back to second, where he ran for the remainder of the stage.
● The No. 4 team pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160):
● Started second, finished second and earned nine more bonus points.
● Harvick continued his run in the second position for the majority of the stage.
● The Jimmy John’s Ford took four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments on lap 127 under green-flag conditions.
● After green-flag pit stops cycled through, Harvick reported a loose wheel, but he continued to run in second place.
● The No. 4 team pitted for four tires and fuel during a lap-156 caution. Harvick restarted the one-lap shootout in the sixth position and powered his way to second place before the conclusion of the stage.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):
● Started first, finished eighth.
● Harvick led the field for the first 35 laps of the stage.
● On lap 197, a multicar accident brought out red-flag conditions. Harvick opted not to pit and restarted from second.
● The No. 4 Ford’s handling became too tight on lap 209, and Harvick fell back to sixth.
● The team pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to run a lap down. After a lap-236 caution, the Jimmy John’s Ford stayed out of the pits to rejoin the lead lap.
● Harvick battled back into the top-10 on the final restart from the 21st position.
Notes:
● Harvick scored his 19th top-10 finish of 2017.
● This was Harvick’s 13th top-10 in 24 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
● Harvick finished second in Stage 1 to collect nine bonus points and second in Stage 2 for an additional nine points.
● Harvick led three times for 37 laps to bring his laps-led total at Kansas to 596.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 49 laps.
● Twenty-two of the 40 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“As you look at the result of the day, you want to have a chance to win. We had a car capable of winning. Just got stuck in a box, and the box kept on getting smaller and smaller. The caution came out with 47 laps to go, and that put us in a bad spot.”
Playoff Standings (at the conclusion of the Round of 12):
1. Martin Truex Jr. (4,069 points)
2. Kyle Busch (4,042 points, -27)
3. Brad Keselowski (4,026 points, -43)
4. Kevin Harvick (4,017 points, -52)
5. Jimmie Johnson (4,017 points, -52)
6. Denny Hamlin (4,014 points, -55)
7. Ryan Blaney (4,009 points, -60)
8. Chase Elliott (4,006 points, -63)
Failed to Advance to Round of 8:
Kyle Larson (2,236 points)
Matt Kenseth (2,184 points)
Jamie McMurray (2,138 points)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2,119 points)
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
