Date: Oct. 11, 2014
Event: Bank of America 500 (Round 31 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Chevrolet)
SHR Finish:
Kevin Harvick (Started 7th, Finished 1st / Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Kurt Busch (Started 11th, Finished 11th / Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Tony Stewart (Started 4th, Finished 21st / Running, completed 333 of 334 laps)
Danica Patrick (Started 14th, Finished 26th / Running, completed 331 of 334 laps)
SHR Points:
Kevin Harvick (3rd with 3,081 points, 7 out of first)
Kurt Busch (15th with 2,109 points)
Tony Stewart (25th with 689 points)
Danica Patrick (28th with 643 points)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Saturday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by winning the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was the 23rd point-paying Sprint Cup win for SHR since its inception in 2009 and the organization’s fourth this season.
Harvick started seventh and led six times for a race-high 162 laps to bring his laps-led total at Charlotte to 296. It was Harvick’s 26th career Sprint Cup victory, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Fred Lorenzen for 25th on the all-time Sprint Cup win list. It was also Harvick’s third win of 2014 and his third victory in 28 career Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 State Water Heaters Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 11th after leading two laps.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 21st.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 26th after being spun by Joey Logano while battling for 11th place on lap 247.
Jeff Gordon finished .571 of a second behind Harvick in the runner-up spot, while Jamie McMurray, Logano and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five. Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were eight caution periods for 39 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race.
Harvick is representing SHR in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With his win at Charlotte, he automatically advances to the Eliminator Round, which will be determined after next Sunday’s race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. There, the Chase field will be whittled from 12 drivers to eight. No matter where Harvick finishes at Talladega, his victory at Charlotte guarantees him a spot in the three-race Eliminator Round that will ultimately determine which four drivers vie for the championship in the season finale Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Chase standings heading into the Eliminator Round at Talladega are as follows:
1. Joey Logano (3,088 points) +/-0 positions
2. Kyle Busch (3,082 points, -6) +/-0
3. Kevin Harvick (3,081 points, -7) +3
4. Ryan Newman (3,077 points, -11) +/-0
5. Carl Edwards (3,076 points, -12) -2
6. Jeff Gordon (3,074 points, -14) +2
7. Denny Hamlin (3,073 points, -15) -2
8. Kasey Kahne (3,057 points, -31) +1
9. Matt Kenseth (3,056 points, -32) -2
10. Brad Keselowski (3,038 points, -50) +/-0
11. Jimmie Johnson (3,031 points, -57) +1
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3,031 points, -57) -1
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the sixth race of the Chase – is the Geico 500 on Oct. 19 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT, with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 1 p.m.
