{"id":5196,"date":"2016-08-21T23:29:10","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T04:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=5196"},"modified":"2016-08-27T16:03:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-27T21:03:11","slug":"kevin-harvick-wins-action-filled-nascar-sprint-cup-series-race-at-bristol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2016\/08\/21\/kevin-harvick-wins-action-filled-nascar-sprint-cup-series-race-at-bristol\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Harvick wins action-filled NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer
\nNASCAR Wire Service<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 For most of the final 200 laps of Sunday\u2019s rain-interrupted Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick<\/strong> was where he needed to be \u2013 out front and in control of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series<\/a> race.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kevin

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Jeff Curry\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Behind Harvick, who took the checkered flag 1.933 seconds ahead of runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the race was often out of control, as the essence of traditional Bristol made an emphatic appearance at the .533-mile concrete short track.<\/p>\n

Harvick\u2019s victory was his second at Thunder Valley, his second of the season and the 33rd of his career. It was the first Bristol victory for crew chief Rodney Childers and for Stewart-Haas Racing, whose co-owner, Tony Stewart, finished 30th after experiencing mechanical problems in his final run at the high-banked speedway.<\/p>\n

“We should have won a lot of races this year, but we just had things not go our way,” said Harvick, who was out front for 128 laps and pulled away for the win after a brief rain shower caused the ninth and final caution with 66 laps left. “We made mistakes, or whatever the case may be. But, to get back into Victory Lane here at Bristol feels really good.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve had some good cars here over the last few years\u2026 We knew we had the performance that we needed to have in the cars pretty much every week. And it\u2019s been one of those deals where things have just not gone exactly right. But to have the win now and just try to get that momentum before we get into the Chase and get things rolling is really what we needed.”<\/p>\n

\"Kevin

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, poses with the winner’s decal in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Jeff Curry\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Denny Hamlin regained two lost laps to finish third, followed by Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher, who moved into 30th place in the standings with his fifth-place run. By virtue of his Aug. 1 victory at Pocono, Buescher will qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup if he\u2019s still in the top 30 three races hence, at the end of the 26-race regular season.<\/p>\n

Pole winner Carl Edwards finished sixth, with Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, AJ Allmendinger and Joey Logano completing the top 10.<\/p>\n

Stenhouse posted the best finish of the season for Roush Fenway Racing, running a paint scheme and wearing a helmet in honor of close friend Bryan Clauson, who lost his life because of injuries sustained in a midget car accident on Aug. 6.<\/p>\n

“We really wanted to get this Bryan Clauson tribute car in victory lane,” Stenhouse said. “It just wasn\u2019t meant to be today. We made our car a lot faster throughout the race and came from two laps down to get back on the lead lap.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, speaks to Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Haas Automation Chevrolet, after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rey Del Rio\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

“We missed some wrecks and gave it all we had. I thought we were matching the 4 car (Harvick) there lap for lap, but he got away from us, and we had to restart sixth there on that last restart, but it was an honor to drive this car.”<\/p>\n

On an afternoon where rosin helped provide speed in the low groove, Harvick\u2019s most formidable competition disappeared before the finish of the event, which was suspended because of rain after 48 laps on Saturday night and resumed on Sunday after showers blew through the area by late afternoon.<\/p>\n

On Lap 358, Kyle Busch, who led a race-high 256 laps, spun in Turn 2, thanks to a broken suspension part. As Busch\u2019s No. 18 Toyota sat sideways at the exit from the corner, Justin Allgaier delivered the coup de grace, unable to avoid Busch\u2019s car.<\/p>\n

Having started the race on Saturday in relief of ailing Michael Annett, Allgaier finished off Busch\u2019s Camry before ricocheting up the track and collecting the competitive cars of Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

“We\u2019ve been having parts failures here, so something we\u2019ve got to address and fix,” Busch said. “I\u2019m really tired of losing races here with parts falling apart, so they\u2019ll hear about it on Tuesday.”<\/p>\n

Busch also had some choice words for Allgaier and his spotter.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve been wrecking for half a lap and they just come on through and clean us out,” he said. “That\u2019s stupid, so I don\u2019t know \u2013 frustrating day. Let\u2019s go home.”<\/p>\n

Allgaier said he tried to go low to avoid Busch but then tried to miss the No. 18 on the high side.<\/p>\n

“The No. 22 (Logano) ducked in front of me getting into (Turn) 1 and I had to jam on the brakes pretty hard,” Allgaier said. “I got really loose and I was just trying to catch it. That\u2019s when the spotter was telling me that the No. 18 was spinning and he kept rolling down the hill.<\/p>\n

“So at first I committed to go below him, because I was already on the bottom, and then he was still coming down the hill, so I tried to go out around the outside of him and, unfortunately, I just didn\u2019t make it.”<\/p>\n

\"Carl

Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, leads the field past the green flag to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Comparatively speaking, that wreck was a minor incident relative to the chaos that followed.<\/p>\n

Battling for the lead after a restart on Lap 372, Kurt Busch turned sideways in his No. 41 Chevrolet, clipped the side of Joey Logano\u2019s Ford and collided with the No. 2 Ford of Brad Keselowski, who subsequently finished 33rd and lost the series points lead to Harvick.<\/p>\n

The contact between Busch and Keselowski ignited a wreck that involved 11 cars and eliminated Busch, Matt Kenseth and Sunoco rookie Ryan Blaney from the race.<\/p>\n

“I think I just missed the bottom groove by a few inches, got loose and the wreck was on,” Busch said.\u00a0 “The way that our car was restarting it felt comfortable, it felt good. That inside with the (rosin), if you don\u2019t hit it exactly right you lose a lot of time.<\/p>\n

“I tried to make up for it and got loose\u2026 We had a win in our sights and I just drove the car at 101 percent instead of that 99. I just over-pushed the groove by a few inches. When you miss your line on a (rosin) grip level, you go for a ride.”<\/p>\n

Notes: Harvick came from 24th on the grid to win the race, the deepest in the field a Bristol winner has started since Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag from 30th in the 2004 Night Race\u2026 Three of Stenhouse\u2019s career top-five finishes have come at Bristol\u2026 There were 20 lead changes among eight drivers in a race that produced nine cautions for 106 laps.<\/p>\n

Additional photos posted below race results.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race<\/strong>
\n Bristol Motor Speedway<\/strong>
\n Bristol, Tennessee<\/strong>
\n Saturday, August 20, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. (24) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500.
\n2. (25) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 500.
\n3. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500.
\n4. (13) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.
\n5. (12) Chris Buescher #, Ford, 500.
\n6. (1) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 500.
\n7. (16) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500.
\n8. (28) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 500.
\n9. (8) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 500.
\n10. (10) Joey Logano, Ford, 500.
\n11. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500.
\n12. (22) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 500.
\n13. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 500.
\n14. (17) Aric Almirola, Ford, 500.
\n15. (6) Chase Elliott #, Chevrolet, 500.
\n16. (34) Greg Biffle, Ford, 500.
\n17. (18) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 500.
\n18. (30) Brian Scott #, Ford, 499.
\n19. (26) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 499.
\n20. (32) Landon Cassill, Ford, 497.
\n21. (37) David Ragan, Toyota, 497.
\n22. (29) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 496.
\n23. (7) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 496.
\n24. (23) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 495.
\n25. (21) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 495.
\n26. (33) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 491.
\n27. (36) * Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 489.
\n28. (15) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 487.
\n29. (38) Jeffrey Earnhardt #, Ford, 479.
\n30. (27) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 471.
\n31. (31) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 470.
\n32. (20) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 458.
\n33. (9) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 458.
\n34. (35) * Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 442.
\n35. (4) * Ryan Blaney #, Ford, 437.
\n36. (40) * Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 416.
\n37. (5) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Accident, 373.
\n38. (14) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 372.
\n39. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, Accident, 357.
\n40. (39) Justin Allgaier(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 354.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:\u00a0 77.968 mph.
\nTime of Race:\u00a0 3 Hrs, 25 Mins, 05 Secs. Margin of Victory:\u00a0 1.933 Seconds.
\nCaution Flags:\u00a0 9 for 106 laps.
\nLead Changes:\u00a0 20 among 8 drivers.
\nLap Leaders:\u00a0\u00a0 C. Edwards 0; D. Hamlin 1-8; C. Elliott # 9-22; Kyle Busch 23-87; B. Scott # 88-92; R. Newman 93-101; Kyle Busch 102-160; C. Edwards 161-189; Kyle Busch 190-226; C. Edwards 227; Kyle Busch 228-250; C. Edwards 251; Kyle Busch 252-285; K. Harvick 286-309; Kyle Busch 310-347; K. Harvick 348-366; J. Logano 367-403; K. Harvick 404-417; J. Logano 418; D. Hamlin 419-429; K. Harvick 430-500.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):\u00a0 Kyle Busch 6 times for 256 laps; K. Harvick 4 times for 128 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 38 laps; C. Edwards 3 times for 31 laps; D. Hamlin 2 times for 19 laps; C. Elliott # 1 time for 14 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 9 laps; B. Scott # 1 time for 5 laps.<\/p>\n

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 762; B. Keselowski – 735; Kurt Busch – 692; C. Edwards – 689; J. Logano – 684; Kyle Busch – 674; D. Hamlin – 659; M. Truex Jr. – 630; J. Johnson – 612; M. Kenseth – 604; A. Dillon – 596; C. Elliott # – 588; J. Mcmurray – 583; R. Newman – 576; T. Bayne – 541; K. Larson – 537.<\/p>\n

\"Carl

Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 Stanley Toyota, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Jamie

Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 Cessna Chevrolet, and AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Bush’s Grillin Beans Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Denny

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Jimmie

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Kobalt Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Kevin

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Chase

Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Kyle

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s 75th Anniversary Toyota, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Martin

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops\/NRA Museum Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ryan

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Virginia Tech\/Motorcraft Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. The race was delayed due to inclement weather on Saturday, August 20. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 For most of the final 200 laps of Sunday\u2019s rain-interrupted Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick was where he needed to be \u2013 out front and in control of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Behind Harvick, who took the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5210,"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_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":[177,95,16],"class_list":["post-5196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-kevin-harvick","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/BMS_082116_14.jpg?fit=4322%2C2944","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-1lO","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5196"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5214,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5196\/revisions\/5214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}