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KEVIN HARVICK – 2017 Kentucky XFINITY Race Report

Event:               Alsco 300 (Round 16 of 33)
Series:               NASCAR XFINITY Series
Location:          Kentucky Speedway in Sparta (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish:      11th/4th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Race Winner:    Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Erik Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Ends on Lap 45):

  • Started 11th, finished 10th.
  • The No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang came to pit road during the competition caution on lap 27 for four tires, wedge and fuel.
  • Restarted 22nd on lap 29 and raced his way to the 10th position by lap 45.
  • Stayed out under caution at the conclusion of Stage 1. 

Stage 2 Recap (Ends on Lap 90):           

  • Started second, finished fourth.
  • Dropped to the fourth position following the start of Stage 2 and continued in that position for the remainder of the stage.
  • Came to pit road for four tires and fuel following Stage 2. 

Final Stage Recap (Ends on Lap 200):    

  • Started fifth, finished fourth.
  • Stayed out under caution on lap 104 to hold the fifth position.
  • Came to pit road in the fourth position on lap 132 for four tires and fuel, while several cars opted for a fuel only or two-tire strategy.
  • Stayed out under caution on lap 168 to advance from the ninth position to the second position.
  • Held the fourth position in the closing laps.

Notes:              

  • Harvick scored his fifth top-five finish in six NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at Kentucky Speedway.
  • It is his 182nd top-five finish in 339 XFINITY Series starts.
  • This is Harvick’s fourth XFINITY Series start for Stewart-Haas Racing.
  • The race featured eight lead changes among four drivers and eight cautions for 44 laps.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 41 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How tough was it restarting on the outside there at the end?

“Well, for some people it was okay. For us we were just a little too free to hold the throttle down. On the bottom I could hold it wide open. On the top I was just kind of chasing the car. I just have to thank everyone from Hunt Brothers and FIELDS, Textron Off-Road, Ford and everybody at Stewart-Haas for letting me be a part of this program and putting this program together. We’ve finished in the top-five every time out, so we’ve just got to keep building on it. I think the first year is definitely a building block and they’re doing really good.” 

Next Up:                                                                       

The next event on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule is the Overton’s 200 on Saturday, July 15 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN. Harvick’s next time behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford Mustang will be Saturday, Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for the Zippo 200 at The Glen.