Harvick Wins Eighth Race of the Season

RCR Wraps Up Third NBS Owners Championship

Kevin Harvick

U.S. Coast Guard driver Kevin Harvick, who clinched the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series championship one race ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, continued his dominance by winning his eighth race of the season. He also secured the third NASCAR Busch Series Owners’ championship for Richard Childress Racing.

Harvick won the Sam’s Town 250 after a thrilling green-white-checkered finish at Memphis Motorsports Park. It was his 25th career victory in the NASCAR Busch Series placing his third on the all-time wins list. He is also the first driver in eight races to claim multiple Busch Series victories at Memphis Motorsports Park – having won here in 2000.

Harvick, who skipped NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Happy Hour practice to fly to Tennessee for the race, started in the rear of the field after Randy LaJoie qualified the No. 21 Coast Guard Chevrolet in his absence. Harvick sliced his way through the field, cracking the top 20 by lap 14, moved into the top 15 by lap 25 and was 12th by the race’s first caution period on lap 47.

Harvick brought the No. 21 Coast Guard Chevrolet to the pits, letting crew chief Shane Wilson know the car needed to turn better through the center of the turns. Team Coast Guard quickly changed four tires, added fuel and made a slight chassis adjustment, getting their driver back on track six positions ahead of where he came in.

The green flag waved on lap 50 and Harvick once again returned his focus to the front of the field. A handful of caution flags in the next 90 laps damped his momentum but he was still able to make his way to the third spot by the races seventh caution period.

The caution allowed Harvick to bring the Coast Guard Chevrolet down pit lane for an adjustment to loosen up the handling “just a hair.” He returned to competition in front of everyone other than the five cars that decided to stay on the race track and Harvick restarted the race in the sixth position on lap 145.

The Bakersfield, Calif., native made quick work of the five cars that did not pit and took over the lead on lap 160 and led the next 77 laps.

However, the 13th caution flag of the race pulled the field back together, allowing Edwards to get close enough to pass Harvick with 13 laps remaining.

Fortunately, two more caution periods waved over the speedway in the final 10 laps allowing Harvick two attempts to pass Edwards on the restart. Edwards was able to hold off “Happy” on the restart following the 14th caution period, however, Edwards was unable to do the same following the final restart of the race.

The 30-year-old driver went for the pass on Edwards immediately following the restart of the green-white-checkered finish. As the two battled entering turn 1 of the .75-mile speedway, Harvick hit Edwards’ left-rear and got him a little loose. This allowed Harvick’s RCR teammate Clint Bowyer to take advantage of the situation and get into the mix, making it a three-wide battle as the drivers made their way through the turn.

Nevertheless, Harvick squirted away and took the lead for the second time in the race and claimed his eighth victory of the season. He is now only two victories away from tying Sam Ard for the most victories in a season.

Defending race winner Bowyer finished second, with Edwards, Johnny Sauter and Shane Huffman rounding out the top five.

Harvick’s other RCR teammate, Timothy Peters, finished 13th in his NASCAR Busch Series debut.

Next up for Harvick and Team Coast Guard is the November 4 O’Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The event will take the green flag at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will be televised live on NBC. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and XM Satellite Radio.

KEVIN HARVICK - NO. 21 COAST GUARD CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS
“Our car kind of went away there at the end. The last two cautions really helped us. I just got a really good restart at the end. At that point, you’re not going to let off.”

“I knew I needed another caution. My tires were pretty much boiled at that point. I knew he was going to take off early from the restart line. It looked like he spun the tires from second to third gear.”

“I didn’t have to come and race here today. I did it for all the fans that bought tickets to see us here. I was here for checkers or wreckers.”