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KEVIN HARVICK – 2019 Daytona 500 Race Report

Event: 61st Daytona 500 (Round 1 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 3rd/26th (Accident, completed 194 of 207 laps)
Point Standing: 14th (27 points, 25 out of first)
Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) in overtime
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

Started third, finished ninth, and collected two bonus points.
● On lap 15, Kevin Harvick brought the No. 4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford Mustang to pit road for fuel only.
● After a caution, Harvick was the leader on the restart.
Under caution on lap 51, Harvick pitted for four tires and fuel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

Started fourth, finished seventh and collected four bonus points.
● On lap 73, Harvick pitted for fuel only.
● At the halfway point, Harvick was eighth.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 121-200):

Started fourth and finished 26th.
● With 50 laps to go, Harvick was fifth.
● On lap 163, Harvick pits for two tires and fuel.
● Harvick was in the top-five, but he was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 194 and was unable to finish the race.

Notes:

● Harvick finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn an additional four bonus points.
● Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500 to score his 32nd career Cup Series victory and his second at Daytona. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .138 of a second.
● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only 14 of the 40 drivers in the Daytona finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FOX beginning with its prerace show at 1:30 p.m.