NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Harvick breaks 115-race winless streak at Talladega
Kevin Harvick and the Shell-Pennzoil team visited victory lane for the first time since 2007 in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points-scoring race. The Shell-Pennzoil team devised the perfect plan for Sunday’s running of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway where Harvick made a last-lap slingshot move past the leader to steal the victory with just 0.011 seconds to spare. The finish was the eighth closest recorded in NSCS history and broke a 115-race winless streak for Harvick and the No. 29 team.
Fans at Talladega Superspeedway endured torrential downpours and tornado warnings at the track on Saturday afternoon, but a double-header on Sunday afternoon made it all worthwhile for the estimated 123,500 in attendance. The exciting race featured a NSCS record of 29 competitors swapping the lead an unprecedented 88 times.
Strategy was a major factor at Talladega Superspeedway, but the plan devised by the Shell-Pennzoil team was simple: try to get out front early to lead a lap, ride around in the back of the pack until 50 laps to go, and then march forward to be there at the end.
Harvick moved to the lead position on lap five and collected his five bonus points for leading before he settled the near 30th position, where he stayed for most of the day. The team moved flawlessly through the motions, pitting the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet five times before sending Harvick back on the track for the final 41 scheduled laps.
The team’s strategy appeared to be working exactly as planned; however, each green-white-checkered attempt added miles on to the race. As Harvick‘s fuel tank dwindled down to its final drops, the driver of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet had to conserve as much as possible to make it to the finish. On the third and final restart, Harvick was lined up behind the race leader Jamie McMurray and pushed McMurray several car lengths ahead of the field. Just as Harvick told his team he would, he dove to the inside of McMurray’s Chevrolet entering the tri-oval and narrowly edged him to the line to take the win after 200 grueling laps.
“Everything just played out just right for us,” said Harvick, who moved into second in the NSCS Championship point’s battle with the victory. “We had a plan to lead a lap early and then ride in the back and wait until 50 laps to go, and try to push forward from there. This Chevrolet Impala was great. I have to thank Shell and Pennzoil, Jimmie John’s, Reese’s, SKF, Coca-Cola, Champion, Sherwin-Williams, Team Realtree, Call 811 and everybody who helps us on this car and the fans that come out to support us every week and get to see finishes like that. I also have to thank ECR. This engine was amazing. We have enjoyed tremendous power all year, and this engine was just awesome.”
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond International Raceway next for some Saturday night racing action. Live coverage of the Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400 will begin at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX and 6:30 p.m. (ET) on MRN Sirius XM Satellite radio.