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Hunt Brothers Pizza Driver Scored Fourth Top-Five Finish of 2017 XFINITY Series Season

Date: July 8, 2017

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.

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