Monday, November 1, 2021

Unibet Racing: Kevin Harvick Martinsville Race Report

Harvick Soldiers to 12th-Place Finish at Martinsville

Date:  Oct. 31, 2021

Event:  Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)

Series:  NASCAR Cup Series

Location:  Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)

Format:  500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)

Start/Finish:  9th / 12th (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)

Point Standing:  6th with 2,318 points

Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

 

Race Winner:  Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner:  Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

●  Kevin Harvick started ninth and finished 13th.

●  The No. 4 Unibet Ford Mustang steadily fell back and was 15th by the time the

competition caution waved on lap 62.

●  “Can’t get into the corner. Wants to lock up the tires. Plows up off (the corner),” said Harvick during the caution.

●  Pitted for four tires and fuel with a track bar adjustment during the caution on lap 63.

●  Lined up 13th for lap-68 restart. Ran a handful of laps before another caution on lap 73. Remained 13th.

●  Grabbed 10th place shortly after lap-77 restart, but gradually dropped to 13th by the end of the stage.

●  “It started off better, but it still doesn’t turn on long runs,” said Harvick. “I don’t have enough forward drive on exit.”

●  Pitted for four tires and fuel with a right-rear wedge adjustment upon the conclusion of the stage.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

●  Harvick started ninth and finished 15th.

●  Grabbed eighth place from Joey Logano on lap 153.

●  Caution on lap 198 allowed Harvick to pit for four tires and fuel with another right-rear wedge adjustment.

●  “That was definitely better,” said Harvick before the stop. “Still need help on the long run.”

●  Lined up eighth for lap-204 restart, but some jockeying for position among others left Harvick 14th by lap 208.

●  “I’m out of control… sideways!” said Harvick on lap 215 while running 15th.

●  Harvick held steady in 15th through the end of the stage.

●  “Slides the back and just won’t turn,” said Harvick about his Unibet Ford Mustang.

●  Pitted for four tires and fuel with a right-rear wedge adjustment before the final stage began.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):

●  Harvick started 12th and finished 12th.

●  Dropped to 16th by lap 282.

●  “Won’t turn and no rear grip on exit,” said Harvick during a caution on lap 311.  

●  Harvick used the caution to pit for four tires and fuel and to get another right-rear wedge adjustment.

●  Lined up 14th for lap-320 restart before the caution flag waved again on lap 324. Was 15th for lap-330 restart.

●  Was 14th when caution came out again on lap 340.

●  Pitted on lap 341 for four tires, fuel and adjustments to left- and right-side wedge.

●  Was 15th for lap-346 restart.

●  “Hard to defend (position) when you can’t put the throttle down,” said a 15th-place Harvick before another caution on lap 359.

●  Lined up 16th for lap-363 restart.

●  Caution on lap 379 allowed Harvick to pit for four tires and fuel and a left-rear wedge adjustment. He restarted in 18th on lap 385.

●  “Won’t turn. No rear grip as soon as you push the accelerator,” said Harvick while under caution on lap 437 and in 17th.

●  Pitted on lap 438 for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment. Restarted in 14th on lap 444.

●  The No. 4 Unibet Ford Mustang was 15th when the caution flag waved again on lap 456. Harvick opted to stay out for track position, where he restarted in 13th.

●  Survived a barrage of yellow caution flags in the final 35 laps to finish 12th.

 

Notes:

●  Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only finished outside the top-20 once at Martinsville – a lone 33rd-place finish in October 2014.

●  Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .478 of a second.

●  There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

●  Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

 

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

 

-SHR-

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