Harvick and the Rheem/Menards Team Earn a Disappointing 33rd-place Finish at Phoenix International Raceway Despite Promising Run

NASCAR Nationwide Series – Dollar General 200
March 2, 2013, Phoenix International Raceway

Despite showing speed in the early stages of the race, Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet team were relegated to a 33rd-place finish in the Dollar General 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, after a cut right-front tire sent the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular into the outside wall. Harvick started the 200-lap affair from the 10th position and quickly made a charge toward the front of the field. Battling a loose-handling condition, the Bakersfield, Calif., native drove down pit road on lap 40 so the Richard Childress Racing pit crew could bolt on right-side tires, add fuel and make a chassis adjustment. The speedy pit stop positioned Harvick third for the ensuing restart. Back on track, Harvick continued to battle the loose condition and fell back to sixth in the running order. As Harvick circled the track in the yellow and black machine, the right-front tire broke apart just past the halfway mark, sending the car into the outside wall. Unable to repair the damage from the on-track incident, the team’s day came to an early end, forcing them to settle for a 33rd-place result.

This definitely wasn’t the best weekend for the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet team. We were loose and needed one more adjustment to get ourselves in position to post a good finish today. The crew did a good job making adjustments and we were running some strong lap times, but that tire just blew without warning and ended our day. – Kevin Harvick

Race Notes

• Started – 10th, Finished – 33rd,  Laps led – 0, Points – 13th
• The No. 33 Chevrolet team ranks thirteenth in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings