Kevin Harvick

A competitive run for Kevin Harvick and the Reese’s racing team was dashed Saturday night when the Bakersfield, Calif., native ran out of gas with seven laps remaining, strapping the No. 29 Chevy with a 19th-place finish in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Despite the unfavorable result, the No. 29 Reese’s Chevrolet raced in the top 10 for the majority of the night and remains in the top five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, only 103 points behind Richard Childress Racing (RCR) teammate and points leader Jeff Burton.

In qualifying early Friday evening, Harvick toured the one-mile Phoenix oval in 27.191 seconds (132.397 mph), posting the 17th-quickest time of the session.

Sporting a bright orange Reese’s scheme, Harvick was quick to inform crew chief Todd Berrier that his No. 29 machine was too tight and was shown 24th when the second caution flag of the evening was displayed on lap 40.

Berrier called Harvick to pit road two laps later for four fresh tires, including an air pressure adjustment, fuel and the addition of a right-rear spring rubber. Following a strong pit stop, Harvick returned to the track 23rd after gaining one position on pit road.

Back under green, Harvick raced in the top 20 over the next 66 circuits before the third caution flag of the night flew on lap 113. Fortunately, a majority of the field had already hit pit road under green-flag conditions, leaving several teams one lap down to the leaders.

Berrier called the 2007 Daytona 500 winner to pits for service three laps later, ordering four tires, fuel, a chassis adjustment and the addition of a right-rear spring rubber. Harvick inherited the 14th spot in the running order for the restart on lap 121.

The adjustments seemed to help the No. 29 machine and the 2006 NASCAR Nationwide champion began a steady climb up the leaderboard. He was 13th on lap 122, 11th on lap 127 and cracked the top 10 just before the fourth caution flag flew on lap 133.

“Happy” Harvick hit pit road for his third stop of the day on lap 137. Four tires, including an air pressure adjustment, fuel and another chassis adjustment were in order for the No. 29 Chevrolet Impala SS. Harvick restarted the 312-lap event in the ninth spot on lap 140.

Another caution flag flew on lap 147 and two of the front runners hit pit road allowing Harvick to inherit the seventh spot for the restart on lap 153.

The 32-year-old driver continued his journey up the scoring pylon and was fourth when a caution flag flew on lap 199. Berrier summoned Harvick to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment in hopes of giving his driver enough of an edge to compete for the win.

Harvick continued to run in and around the top five for the next 93 circuits. He was able to work his way into the third position when the leaders started making green-flag pit stops on lap 297 for fuel. Unfortunately, on lap 305 just as Berrier was summoning Harvick to pit road, the No. 29 machine ran out of gas.

The 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner was able to coast the No. 29 Reese’s Chevrolet to pit road but lost a lap in the process, ultimately crossing the finish line 19th.

Jimmie Johnson won his first race of the 2008 season. Harvick’s fellow RCR teammate Clint Bowyer finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin. Burton, driving RCR’s No. 31 AT&T Chevy crossed the stripe sixth.

Following a weekend off, Harvick and company will heads to Talladega, Ala. where the superspeedway action will heat up. Live coverage of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway begins Sunday, April 27 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The race will also broadcast worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for round nine of the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series championship will air live on SPEED Saturday, April 26 at 11 a.m. EDT. MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will provide qualifying updates.

KEVIN HARVICK - NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET IMPALA SS –
“We had a great Reese’s Chevrolet and we were able to keep getting it better throughout the race. Todd (Berrier) and the guys did a great job in the pits. We just tried to go for too much today and we ran out of gas there at the end. We lost some time on pit road trying to get it refired. We had a top five car today and I am just disappointed that we ended up 19th. “