NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP Gas Booster 500
April 7, 2013 – Martinsville Speedway
Kevin Harvick drove the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS to a 13th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon after late-race pit strategy played against the Richard Childress Racing team. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the STP Gas Booster 500 from the 21st position and set his sights on the front of the field, moving into the top 10 by lap 36. As the race progressed, Harvick was able to maintain a position within the top 10, but reported to crew chief Gil Martin that the red and white machine had developed a tight-handling condition. The team worked on the handling of the Budweiser Chevrolet during multiple four-tire pit stops in an effort to combat the handling issue, including a final four-tire pit stop on lap 489 that positioned the No. 29 machine 14th for the final restart. Back under green-flag conditions, Harvick was able to gain one position during the final laps, crossing the finish line 13th. The top-15 result allowed Harvick to gain one position, to 14th, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings.
The Budweiser team had a solid run today, but it came down to pit strategy at the end, and it didn't work in our favor. Next weekend is another race. We'll move on from Martinsville (Speedway) and put our focus on Texas (Motor Speedway). - Kevin Harvick
Race Notes
- Started - 21st, Finished, - 13th, Laps led - 0, Points - 14th
- Harvick ranks fourteenth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing point leader Jimmie Johnson.
- The No. 29 Chevrolet team is seventeenth in the Sprint Cup Series owner championship point standings.
- According to NASCAR's Loop Data Statistics, Harvick was the fifth-Fastest Driver Early in a Run, the ninth-Fastest driver Late in a Run, the ninth-Fastest on Restarts, ranked ninth in Average Running Position (9.016), had the ninth-best Driver Rating (96.3) and had the third-best Speed in Traffic.
- Harvick also spent 479 Laps in the Top 15 (95.8 percent) and made 42 Quality Passes (passes made while running in the top 15).
