RELATED: Watkins Glen results | Watch the dramatic end unfold
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Defending series champion Kevin Harvick said he thought he’d “done a pretty good job of saving fuel” under one of the five caution flags that slowed Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at the Glen.
According to crew chief Rodney Childers, Harvick was correct.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough.
The Stewart-Haas Racing driver ran out of fuel with the checkered flag almost in sight in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International. He was unable to hold off the fast-closing race winner Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch motored past under power as well before Harvick coasted across the finish line to claim third place in the series’ 22nd of 36 events.
“I was just running as fast as I needed to, to protect the lead there as I was in front of the 20 (of Matt Kenseth),” Harvick said after his 15th top-five finish of the season and his 19th top-10.
Once the Team Penske Ford of Logano began closing, however, “I had to pick up the pace just a little bit,” he said.
“But all in all, our … team did a great job today and we were in position to have a win; two corners away. But that’s just kind of how the middle of this season has gone. We’ve had really fast cars but the circumstances have just gotten the best of us.
“So, hopefully we’re saving that up for the last 10 weeks.”
Harvick, who started fourth, was able to move past Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing) on the 61st circuit of the 90-lap event, shortly after the day’s fifth caution flag appeared. He remained on point for the next 29 laps. But with no additional cautions appearing, and his last trip to pit road having come several laps earlier, Harvick’s crew knew their driver’s chances were questionable.
According to the team’s calculations, Harvick’s fuel cell was expected to hit empty with approximately one-half of a lap left on the 2.45-mile road course located in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
“We were fortunate we were able to keep it running at least and get it all the way back around,” Childers said. “…I’m still surprised we made it that far, though. We pitted with 40 to go and before the race we thought we could go 32 laps so we went eight more than we thought we could. Caution laps helped.”
Harvick already has secured one of the 16 positions in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup field. He’s a two-time winner this season (Las Vegas and Phoenix) and has been the series’ points leader for 20 consecutive weeks.
“You hate to give up any points,” said Childers, “But on the other hand, it just got to the point halfway through the race where we were like ‘Are we going to win it doing what we’re doing?’ No. ‘Do we have a good enough car to win?’ Yes.
“So we need to try to do something different. So we did … and it almost worked out. It just wasn’t enough.”
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“It tells me I have the best team on pit road,” Harvick said. “Our cars are faster than pretty much everybody else’s every week.
“The circumstances have definitely bit us quite a few times. But all in all, if you have the fastest car and you keep running in the top five and leading laps, eventually you’re going to wear them down.”
Childers agreed with that assessment.
“I feel real good about everything,” he said. “Every week when we show up at the race track I still feel like we’ve got the best team every week and the fastest car every week. The guys on pit road have just done a tremendous job all year, very consistent. I feel like we’re going to be where we need to be.
“We learned a lot last year. If everybody thinks we were strong last year, they’re going to be in for it (this year).”