Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Jimmy John’s team settled for a 13th-place finish in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after battling handling issues during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the 160-lap race from the 27th position and reported that the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet had an extremely tight-handling condition, but shifted to a loose-handling condition as the race progressed. Throughout multiple green and yellow-flag pit stops, the Shane Wilson-led Jimmy John’s crew made several adjustments to combat the handling issues Harvick was battling, and the Richard Childress Racing driver worked his way into the top 15 by lap 90. During the late-race runs the 36-year-old driver reported that the tight-handling condition had returned, and the No. 29 Chevrolet was becoming increasingly worse as the race neared the end. The No. 29 crew made one final attempt to alleviate the handling issue during their final scheduled yellow-flag pit stop on lap 125, but Harvick continued to fight the tight-handling condition and ultimately crossed the finish line in the 13th position. Harvick remains sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 78 points behind the leader.
KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE:
“This was not the result I was looking for today. Unfortunately we struggled all weekend to find the right setup for the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, but we fought hard and salvaged a top-15 finish.”