Harvick: Kenseth 'won't win this championship'

Harvick had started 33rd, sparking some concern that an accident in the middle of the pack would derail his day. As is turned out, the worry manifested itself up near the front-runners after a spirited drive through the field.

Kenseth, running eighth, overdrove the .526-mile track's first turn in the 227th of 500 laps, cooking his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota into the left-rear fender of Harvick's Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet. Both cars spun, but Harvick took the brunt of the damage, smacking the outside wall in Turn 1.

The whole Stewart-Haas operation contributed in a frantic repair effort, replacing the radiator, patching the rear-end damage and removing the splitter, hood and front fenders.

While the wreck didn't end Harvick's day, the substantial time spent in the garage for major repairs left him 43 laps off the pace when the checkered flag flew and left plenty of hurt feelings in the No. 4 camp.

"It's all a circumstance with being upset with the 20," said Rodney Childers, Harvick's crew chief. "He just flat-out wrecked us. It's a bad decision on his part, for sure."

Kenseth took the lion's share of the blame for the initial contact, to the point that it soured his mood after the finish. He also took some front-end damage in the 365th lap as a laps-down Harvick gave him fits on the track, brake-checking him and slowing his momentum.

"It was a long day. It was one of the lowlights of my career, honestly," Kenseth said. "I'm glad we got that finish, even though we got the car all banged up and all the extra stuff going on. At the end of the day I'm glad we got the finish, but it was a rough day.

"I don't blame (Harvick) for feeling like that, to be honest with you. It was a mistake. He was an innocent bystander at the wrong place at the wrong time. I totally understand how he feels, I totally understand why he would say that; I totally get it. He knows it's a mistake, too, but that doesn't really help him. I don't blame him. He got taken out of the race for being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jason Ratcliff, Kenseth's crew chief, said the result was just another sign that his team was on the verge of netting its first victory of the season. But he shared his driver's lament about the collision that altered the championship picture.

"Obviously, he didn't mean to do it. It was just hard racing and just came around on him," Ratcliff said. "I know he would never want to take anyone out, regardless of who it was. But sometimes, those things happen. Kevin's got every reason to be frustrated. I would be, too. Hopefully, it's over. We'll see. But I know Matt was not real pleased with it. He was aggravated not only because it cost us some track position there, but he doesn't like to get into anyone, especially someone that's trying to win the championship."

While Harvick's title hopes are far from extinguished, his chances of advancing to the Sprint Cup Championship on the basis of points have become increasingly daunting. He can also clinch a shot at the championship in the Nov. 16 finale by winning either of the Eliminator Round's two remaining races -- at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

Harvick is winless in 23 career starts at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track, but he has been dominant in the desert with five Phoenix victories, including three of the last four races at the Arizona mile. Though his finish at Martinsville was bleak, Harvick left with hope for putting his name among the final four.

"It's definitely not the way you wanted to all play out," Harvick said. "But that's the great part about this format -- you've got two more weeks and two race tracks we can win on."

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