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Busch Beer Driver Battles Adversity in New York

Date: Aug. 6, 2017

Event: I LOVE NEW YORK 355k at The Glen (Round 22 of 36)

Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile road course)

Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)

Start/Finish: 20th/17th (Running, completed 90 of 90 laps)

Point Standing: 4th (746 points, 135 out of first)

 

Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 2 Winner: Daniel Suarez of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

 

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-20):

• Kevin Harvick started 20th, finished 29th.
• The Busch Beer driver worked his way into the top-15 by lap nine.
• Harvick reported a lack of rear grip halfway through Stage 1.
• Harvick wheeled his Busch Beer Ford to pit road on lap 18 prior to the conclusion of Stage 1, dropping to 29th.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 21-40):

• Started 10th, finished 26th.
• Harvick battled a tight-handling condition throughout Stage 2.
• The Busch Beer Ford raced inside of the top-10 until lap 35, when the team called Harvick to pit road to correct the handling issue.
• Harvick opted to stay out rather than pit at the end of Stage 2 to gain track position.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 41-90):

• Started 16th, finished 17th.
• Harvick started moving forward at the start of the final stage, breaking back into the top-15 by lap 49.
• Harvick came to pit road on lap 53 after he reported his car’s handling had not improved. Unfortunately, the No. 4 made contact with the No. 83 on pit road, resulting in Harvick having to back up to his box for the team to change tires and make significant repairs.
• Harvick restarted 32nd and worked his way back to the top-15 by lap 86.
• The team battled adversity again on lap 87 as smoke began coming out of the right-rear side and Harvick reported that something broke in his Ford Fusion.
• Harvick dropped back from his 13th-place running position to ultimately finish 17th.

Notes:

• There were three caution periods for a total of eight laps.
• The race featured nine lead changes among six drivers.
• Only 29 of the 37 drivers in the I LOVE NEW YORK 355k at The Glen finished on the lead lap.
• Martin Truex Jr. won the I LOVE NEW YORK 355k at The Glen to score his 11th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Watkins Glen. Matt Kenseth finished second by .414 of a second.
• Truex leads the championship point standings with 881 points and has a 116-point margin over his nearest pursuer, Kyle Busch.

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Sunday, Aug. 13. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN, MRN Radio and SiriusXM Radio channel 90.

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