Busch Light Driver Will Race for Title at Homestead-Miami
Date: Nov. 12, 2017
Event: Phoenix 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (mile oval)
Format: 312 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/162 laps)
Start/Finish: 6th/5th (Running, completed 312 of 312 laps)
Point Standing: 1st with 5,000 points (Advances to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway)
Race Winner: Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75)
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150):
Final Stage Recap (Laps 151-312):
Notes:
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What does it mean to move on with a chance to win another title?
“It means a lot, especially this year switching everything from our manufacturer to Ford and just seeing the steady climb of performance and peaking as the playoffs started and running good on really every racetrack that we’ve been to; and this has by far been our best round – all three top-fives and a win. It’s the right time of the year to be peaking. I feel really good about our mile-and-a-half program. Homestead has been a great racetrack for us through the years, and hopefully we can go down there and contend. I think, for us, you’re really happy with where you are just for the fact that as a company we know what we went through and kind of playing on house money at this point. So we’re gonna go down there and wing it and see what happens.”
Team owner Tony Stewart said earlier that he’s seen this script before with you, and you are going to go down to Homestead and win. Is it that easy for you?
“We have every intention of doing that. Our intention is to go down there and win the championship. I think if you’re one of those four and you don’t have that mentality, you’re not prepared for what you’re getting into, because I feel like you’re gonna have to win the race, you’re gonna have to not make mistakes. We’ve seen it year after year, mistakes and circumstances and things happen and you have to be there first, you have to have a chance, and you have to think you can do it. We know we can do it, and I think there are three past champions and a guy that has run well all year and won a lot of races, so it’s not like it’s gonna be just check the box and send the check. It’s guys that have done this before and won races, but for us we’re confident in our team and feel like we should have a chance.”
From the mental toughness aspect that is required to win a title, is this maybe the strongest field?
“I wouldn’t say it’s the strongest field, because I think as you look at the past, and if I’m not mistaken, I know the 78 has been there before, the 18 (of Kyle Busch) has been there before obviously. I don’t know if Brad (Keselowski) has been there before or not in this particular format, but it’s not something that these guys are just gonna cave in and give up on what they’re doing. Three of us have won championships, and Martin (Truex Jr.) has won a lot of races this year, so the pressure is really on the 78 and the 18. Those guys have dominated the year, and I feel like if they don’t win at this point they would probably feel like they’ve had a letdown. So it’s a lot of fun coming from behind and playing catch-up. And kind of playing that underdog role is much easier than being expected to go down there and win. We expect to win.”
Championship 4 Drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1. Kevin Harvick (5,000 points)
2. Kyle Busch (5,000 points)
3. Martin Truex Jr. (5,000 points)
4. Brad Keselowski (5,000 points)
Failed to Advance to the Championship 4:
5. Chase Elliott (2,338 points, -2,662)
6. Denny Hamlin (2,321 points, -2,679)
8. Ryan Blaney (2,297 points, -2,703)
10. Jimmie Johnson (2,250 points, -2,750)
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final race of the 10-race playoffs starts at 2:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC beginning at 1:30 p.m.