Kevin Harvick and the No. 2 Kroger/Tide team finished 12th at Martinsville Speedway after cutting a tire in the final laps of the Kroger 200. The 36-year-old driver started the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event from the second position and alerted crew chief Ernie Cope that the Kroger/Tide Chevrolet was incredibly loose prior to moving into the lead on lap 59. Cope called Harvick to pit road on laps 94 and 151 for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments to combat the loose-handling condition the orange machine had developed. Back on track, Harvick informed the team that it felt like he had a tire going down as he began falling back in the field. The Bakersfield, Calif., native drove the Richard Childress Racing entry down pit road on lap 187 allowing the team to replace left-side tires under caution. Harvick returned to the track in the 15th position for the lap-193 restart and ultimately crossed the finish line in 12th.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“We had a good run today in the Kroger/Tide Chevrolet. We fought a loose-handling condition throughout the race, but were able to keep the truck up front until the end when we cut a tire. Wish we could have gotten the win today, but there are some things outside of your control. You win some, you lose some.”