{"id":14059,"date":"2017-11-17T10:50:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T16:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=14059"},"modified":"2017-11-17T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T16:50:36","slug":"late-bloomer-harvick-feeling-confident-as-championship-race-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/17\/late-bloomer-harvick-feeling-confident-as-championship-race-nears\/","title":{"rendered":"Late-bloomer Harvick feeling confident as Championship Race nears"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brant James, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Harvick\u2019s<\/strong> two wins this season are fewer than any of the other three drivers eligible to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> title on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Ford talks to the media during media day for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at the Loews Hotel on November 16, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His Stewart-Haas Racing team needed half a season to finally find its footing after switching from Chevrolet to Ford. Martin Truex Jr. remains the most consistent, most consistently able to strong-arm a weekend for a Toyota contingent that has been the prime manufacturer of the season.<\/p>\n

Harvick isn\u2019t concerned.<\/p>\n

And with reason. He\u2019s in position for another epic close, and the title of undisputed master of this version of the points system. His record at Homestead and his performance under duress should further hearten the 2014 series champion as he readies himself for Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBC).<\/p>\n

Since NASCAR made the final race a four-driver showdown for the title that season, Harvick has been title eligible three times.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Mobil 1 Ford, poses with the winner\u0092s decal in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Harvick struggled with much of his organization to find speed in the SHR\u2019s first two months with Ford, but was still able to maintain a slot inside the top 10 in points. His finishes began to improve markedly after winning the pole and finishing fourth at Texas Motor Speedway in June and five top-fives in eight races ensued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were late bloomers to the party just from the fact we had a lot of work to do,\u201d Harvick said, referring to the manufacturer swap. \u201cWe had a lot of change. We had a lot of things we had to navigate and maneuver and get to the point of being competitive like we are right now. That isn\u2019t how we were in the middle of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvick broke through for his first non-Chevrolet triumph at Sonoma Raceway but didn\u2019t win again until Texas two weeks ago. He was fourth in the driver standings and in possession of a points transfer spot until assuring his spot in the finale with the victory. The win bore additional value in how he was able to run down Truex who led a race-high 107 laps, has six wins this season on 1.5-mile tracks, and has been the most consistently excellent performer of the season.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Trotman\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe had everything two weeks ago at Texas,\u201d Harvick said. \u201cI don\u2019t have to say too much, just look back two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2014, Harvick exploited the new system in the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix Raceway to leap from eighth points position to a berth in the Championship Race with a victory. His win the next week sealed the title, beginning a streak in which every champion has won the last race of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think having that experience from 2014 and 2015 was a big learning experience for us, definitely for me being the first-time racing for a championship,\u201d said crew chief Rodney Childers. \u201cI think it has helped this year just being more prepared, knowing what you need to have done before you leave the shop, and just having all your ducks in a row before you get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvick finished second at Homestead in 2015 as his title fell short against Kyle Busch, and third last year although he wasn\u2019t title-eligible. His average finish of 6.9 in – with eight top fives – in 16 starts. Truex average there: 12.3; Brad Keselowski, 15.9; Kyle Busch, 19.8 with a win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to be here,\u201d Harvick said.<\/p>\n

In the place. In the situation.<\/p>\n

Kevin Harvick – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Champ4MediaDay_Harvick_111617.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brant James, NASCAR Wire Service MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Harvick\u2019s two wins this season are fewer than any of the other three drivers eligible to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His Stewart-Haas Racing team needed half a season to finally find its footing after switching from<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[95,16],"class_list":["post-14059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-kevin-harvick","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-3EL","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14153,"url":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/19\/nascar-race-preview-ford-ecoboost-400\/","url_meta":{"origin":14059,"position":0},"title":"NASCAR race preview: Ford EcoBoost 400","author":"Mike Haag","date":"November 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"News, notes and photos courtesy of NASCAR \u00a0 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race: Ford EcoBoost 400 The Place: Homestead-Miami Speedway The Date: Sunday, Nov. 19 The Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET Tickets:\u00a0NASCAR.com\/tickets Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps), Stage 1\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NASCAR"","block_context":{"text":"NASCAR","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/category\/nascar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/HMS_MENCS_Car_111817.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/HMS_MENCS_Car_111817.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/HMS_MENCS_Car_111817.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/HMS_MENCS_Car_111817.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/HMS_MENCS_Car_111817.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14171,"url":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/19\/martin-truex-jr-wins-2017-monster-energy-nascar-cup-series-championship\/","url_meta":{"origin":14059,"position":1},"title":"Martin Truex Jr. wins 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship","author":"Mike Haag","date":"November 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Courtesy of NASCAR DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 Following a long and winding road, Martin Truex Jr. finally owns the biggest prize in motorsports. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota capped off a dominant season in fitting fashion \u2013by capturing the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NASCAR"","block_context":{"text":"NASCAR","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/category\/nascar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/NPMD-TruexJr-091317.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/NPMD-TruexJr-091317.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/NPMD-TruexJr-091317.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/NPMD-TruexJr-091317.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/NPMD-TruexJr-091317.jpg?fit=1200%2C851&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22992,"url":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/18\/championship-4-prove-why-they-were-considered-the-best-ever\/","url_meta":{"origin":14059,"position":2},"title":"Championship 4 prove why they were considered the best ever","author":"racedaysaeditor","date":"November 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Holly Cain,\u00a0NASCAR Wire Service HOMESTEAD, Fla. \u2013 Leading into Sunday night\u2019s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, much was made about the season\u2019s \u201cBig 3\u201d deciding the championship \u2013 all former champs, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. And yet, as it turned out the \u201cfourth\u201d \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NASCAR"","block_context":{"text":"NASCAR","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/category\/nascar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/358663.jpg?fit=1200%2C855&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/358663.jpg?fit=1200%2C855&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/358663.jpg?fit=1200%2C855&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/358663.jpg?fit=1200%2C855&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/358663.jpg?fit=1200%2C855&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14211,"url":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/19\/nascar-sunday-homestead-notebook\/","url_meta":{"origin":14059,"position":3},"title":"NASCAR: Sunday Homestead Notebook","author":"Mike Haag","date":"November 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By Reid Spencer,\u00a0NASCAR Wire Service Deteriorating handling dooms Kevin Harvick's title shot HOMESTEAD, Fla. \u2013 Before the shadows crept over Turns 1 and 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kevin Harvick had a car capable of challenging fellow title contenders Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. 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