Pit crew rankings after Dover

Posted on October 6, 2015 by

After the third race of the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway, PitTalks.com ranks the 16 Chase teams’ pit crews. For more pit crew news provided by PitTalks.com come back throughout the Chase.

No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pit crew for Carl Edwards

Rank: 1

Wins: 2 — Charlotte and Darlington

Notes: This crew had an exceptional race in the pits. We usually wouldn’t send a seventh-place team last week to first this week, but these guys laid down some very fast stops. They had an issue late in the race that brought the No. 19 down pit road, but we’re hearing it was a car issue, not a crew misstep.

No. 22 Team Penske Ford pit crew for Joey Logano

Rank: 2

Wins: 3 — Daytona, Watkins Glen, Bristol

Notes: After a struggle last week on a few stops, this crew was on fire at Dover. It gained spots on five of the six pit sequences and helped keep the No. 22 up front all day.

No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet pit crew for Kevin Harvick

Rank: 3

Wins: 2 — Las Vegas and Phoenix

Notes: This team did everything it needed to do to advance to the Contender Round of the Chase. The pressure this crew was under was huge, and team members were in a situation where mistakes weren’t tolerated. They had fast stops all day and have earned the third spot.

No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet pit crew for Kurt Busch

Rank: 4

Wins: 2 — Richmond and Michigan

Notes: This has been a top team all year and it continued to put up good times at Dover. The stops weren’t as fast as the top two teams in Dover, but they were still very good. Late in the race the car entered pit road with problems on the left front, but that wasn’t on the crew.

No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pit crew for Denny Hamlin

Rank: 5

Wins: 2 — Martinsville, (Sprint All-Star Race), Chicago

Notes: The first stop of the day was blistering for this crew: sub 11 seconds. But after two speeding penalties it seemed the wind was taken out of the team’s sails. We still wouldn’t bet against them when the race is on the line … it just wasn’t this weekend.

No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pit crew for Matt Kenseth

Rank: 6

Wins: 5 — Bristol, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond, New Hampshire

Notes: Dover wasn’t a great race for the No. 20 nor was it a bad one. The crew made adjustments on the back of the car during the second stop and lost a few spots, but after that it was solid for most of the day. This team wasn’t as dominant as last week but was still fast.

No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota pit crew for Kyle Busch

Rank: 7

Wins: 4 — Sonoma, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Indianapolis

Notes: Landing in the seventh spot this week is the good ol’ No. 18 car. What a drama-filled two weeks for these guys! They seem to be handling it well. Their stops looked fast, and Josh Leslie has stepped in nicely for Nick Odell. We see this team only getting faster during the next round.

No. 2 Team Penske Ford pit crew for Brad Keselowski

Rank: 8

Wins: 1 — Fontana

Notes: This crew didn’t do enough to gain on the top seven, but was good enough to hold onto eighth. Even with a change in the rear changers three weeks ago, this team keeps getting better. In order to help the No. 2 car advance to the next round, they must continue to improve.

No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet pit crew for Ryan Newman

Rank: 9

Wins: 0

Notes: Newman is in the Contender Round of the Chase, and he had no problems on pit road that would have kept him out. Sometimes that is what is asked of the pit crew: don’t make mistakes. We can’t fairly say how fast their stops were. So with that, they stay hunkered down at No. 9.

No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pit crew for Jeff Gordon

Rank: 10

Wins: 0

Notes: Nick Odell joined the No. 24 this week only one week after being released from JGR. The crew seemed to be OK, but we didn’t see much that would push us to move it up from the past two weeks.

No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet pit crew for Martin Truex Jr.

Rank: 11

Wins: 1 – Pocono

Notes: The No. 78 has seen better days but did what it took to advance. On the fourth sequence, it lost a spot and lost two more on pit stop No. 6. They’re a scary crew because they can put up very low times, but the inconsistency is what keeps them near the bottom of the power rankings.

No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pit crew for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Rank: 12

Wins: 2 — Talladega and Daytona

Notes: This crew can’t seem to catch a break. Toward the end of last week a change was announced and front changer Scott Brzozowski was taken off the No. 24 and put on the No. 88. They had a loose wheel on Stop 2 and had another potential wheel coming loose before the last caution.

For more pit crew news, visit PitTalks.com

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Staff Report

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has picked up a new primary sponsorship for 2016, although the brand is hardly new to Hendrick Motorsports.

Axalta, a longtime sponsor of Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 Chevrolet, will switch its primary support to the No. 88 of Earnhardt Jr. next season with Gordon retiring. The coatings company also expanded its number of races as primary sponsor from 10 to 13, and the deal between the two has been extended to 2018.

“Axalta and Hendrick Motorsports have an incredible story,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a Hendrick release. “For me, it’s meaningful to work with a sponsor that’s been so committed to our sport and has such a rich history in NASCAR. Continuing the partnership is special for all of us, and I’m already excited about what the car will look like. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.”

The partnership between Axalta and Hendrick is in its 23rd full season.

“We began a journey 23 years ago with Hendrick Motorsports and a young driver named Jeff Gordon. Eighty poles, 92 wins and four championships later, we are proud of the run we’ve had with Jeff,” said Nigel Budden, Axalta vice president and head of its North America business via a Hendrick release. “Now, we are delighted to continue our relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and to adorn the hood of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Chevy SS with the Axalta logo in 2016. As our slogan says, ‘We Paint Winners,’ and by joining Dale we will continue to do so for years to come.”

Chase Elliott, the 19-year-old defending NASCAR XFINITY Series champ, will take over Gordon’s car next year.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Staff Report

Richard Petty Motorsports revealed Tuesday at its shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, that Ford will be its manufacturer for the 2016 season and beyond in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Richard Petty Motorsports has been aligned with Ford since 2010. The team will also continue its relationship with Roush Yates Engines and its services agreement with Roush Fenway Racing.

Proud to announce @FordPerformance will continue to be our manufacturer in 2016 and beyond. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/oOZCIgOceI

— RPMotorsports (@RPMotorsports) October 6, 2015

“Our relationship with Ford Performance has a history, a present and now a future of winning races and competing for championships,” Richard Petty, co-owner of Richard Petty Motorsports said in a release provided by the team. “As we took on additional internal responsibilities within our organization over the past 12 months, Dave Pericak and his team at Ford Performance have been with us supporting Richard Petty Motorsports each step of the way. And to know they will continue to be our partner is very important to our combined desire to make RPM a championship caliber organization.”

Petty and Ford go back quite a ways to the 1969 season, when “The King” scored nine of his 10 wins that year driving a Ford en route to a runner-up finish for the championship.

“Richard Petty Motorsports has made steady progress since joining our program, and we’re looking forward to seeing them take that next step to being a consistent Chase participant,” Dave Pericak, director, Ford Performance said in a release. “We feel they have the people in place to achieve that goal, and we’re going to do everything we can to provide them the resources to make that happen.”

RPM is a two-car race team that includes Aric Almirola driving the No. 43 and Sam Hornish Jr. driving the No. 9. Neither driver qualified for the Chase in 2015, although Almirola advanced to the postseason last year after winning the summer race at Daytona.

Almirola ranks 18th in points after 29 Sprint Cup Series races this season and Hornish Jr. stands 27th.

RPM also fields an entry for Dakoda Armstrong in the XFINITY Series. The driver of the No. 43 Ford is 14th in the series standings.

Together, Ford and RPM have teamed up for three wins in the Sprint Cup Series and two wins in the XFINITY Series.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — That high-pitched whir unique to Joe Gibbs Racing‘s air wrenches could be coming to the pit boxes of one of the Toyota organization’s closest rivals in the near future.

Hendrick Motorsports‘ motivations for hiring front-tire changer Nick Odell to Jeff Gordon‘s No. 24 team last week came into clearer focus Tuesday at the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Contender Round Media Day. Odell, Gordon said, wasn’t merely brought in for his nimble work during pit stops, but also for his institutional and technical skill, which helped in the development of JGR’s enhanced air guns.

“That was an opportunity to get someone that is highly regarded on pit road, very knowledgeable about more than just changing tires,” Gordon said during media rotations at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “He was somebody that a lot of people wanted to get their hands on, and Nick had to make his own choice and decision where he was going to end up going. I’m very proud that he came to our organization. I think it’s going to pick our program up, which I feel like we’ve been off.

“I mean, we train guys, we have very talented individuals, but it goes further than that. Now we’re starting to see where these pit guns are a crucial part of pit stops. It’s something we’ve been working on, and now it helps us take it to the next level.”

RELATED: Pit crew changes for Gordon, Earnhardt Jr.

Odell’s move came at the expense of specifically the No. 18 team with driver Kyle Busch, who lost a seven-year veteran from his over-the-wall crew, but generally for Joe Gibbs Racing, which unveiled the high-speed air guns — known for their distinctively shrill whine — during the 2014 season. The upgrade in equipment, combined with JGR’s already quick personnel, has helped the team shave precious tenths of a second off its pit stops.

Busch said he anticipated a similar air wrench design making its debut at Hendrick Motorsports‘ four-car outfit in “six, seven, eight months,” and that JGR will face even tighter competition on pit road next season.

“I feel like Nick Odell, he’s one of my best friends. I’m friends with all my guys, and if any of them left, I’d be hurt about it,” Busch said. “I didn’t want to see Nick go, but things happen for a reason I guess in this business. Certainly being a part of Joe Gibbs Racing and the development work and everything that we’ve done into those air guns, obviously Nick was a part of that and knows some of that stuff, so he’s a guy who does have some of that knowledge and will share it, I’m sure, with the Hendrick Motorsports group.”

If Busch’s timetable for air-gun development is accurate, Gordon won’t have an opportunity to directly feel the impact. The four-time champion will be ceding his seat to defending XFINITY champion Chase Elliott at season’s end, and changes to the 2016 rules package may reduce the premium on gaining spots during pit-stop exchanges.

Gordon said that doesn’t mean that teams will place lesser emphasis on seeking every advantage possible to speed up pit-road service.

“I think you’re just always trying to find out where you need more strength and what can make you better,” Gordon said. “Track position has become so important. I think next year it’ll be less important because of the aerodynamics, and I think that’s great for the sport, but we’re never going to stop trying to figure out how to find time on pit road if it’s possible and to do it consistently. Right now, I think it’s so crucial. The aerodynamic and power combination we have this year, it is so difficult to pass once you get the green flag and get strung out. Very, very difficult.”

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Zack Albert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The next three-race set of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs comes with a round-capping layer of dread at one of the circuit’s most feared tracks, Talladega Superspeedway. The possibility of adding laps under the green-white-checkered finish rules only ratchets up the pressure.

Chase-eligible drivers talked Tuesday about the possibility of reducing the specter of overtime, saying that exploratory discussions have been held with NASCAR about potentially limiting the mayhem predicted for the Contender Round finale, the Camping World.com 500 (Oct. 25, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Drivers in the newly whittled field of 12 competing for the championship spoke favorably about decreasing the number of attempts at a two-lap shootout finish at restrictor-plate venue Talladega and its sister track, Daytona International Speedway. The “green-white-checkered” rule, instituted for NASCAR’s premier series in 2004, currently has a cap of three attempts to finish the race under the green flag.

Because of the Talladega facility’s tendency toward large multicar wrecks, especially in the late stages of its races, decreasing the number of shootout-style finishes has won over some fans among the series’ competitors.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” 2012 series champ Brad Keselowski said. “We go there and say we’re going to run 500 miles. You run 500 miles and it ends under yellow, it kind of feels a little uncomfortable. Give another crack at it and see if you can’t finish it off for the fans, and if it doesn’t come together, well, we tried. I would feel pretty good about that if I was a fan. And as a team owner, I would feel pretty good about that, too.

“I feel like one crack at it kind of feels like, if you’ve ever been to a concert and the guy gets up there and does an encore, it kind of feels like that. It’s like a showing of appreciation and respect toward our fans. But I think one gesture toward it is good.”

A NASCAR spokesperson said Tuesday that nothing has been decided in terms of changing Talladega’s rules. Denny Hamlin, winner of the Chase opener at Chicagoland, said that “another option for sure that’s on the table” would alter the restart format altogether.

“I actually think the biggest change at Talladega for the finishes would be a single-file restart,” Hamlin said. “I think double-file restarts really play into whoever’s leading’s advantage. Now if you put us all single-file, it forces the people in second, third, fourth, fifth to make a move to try to get the lead. Right now, we’re where the leader has such an advantage that he’s able to block both lanes, that I think single-file restarts at the end, there’s more exciting finishes there than what we’ve seen in the past. It probably would be safer.”

Two of the last three Chase events at Talladega have gone into overtime, with one of those green-white-checkered attempts producing one of most frantic crashes in recent NASCAR history — a race-ending 25-car melee in October 2012. Though there were no major injuries, the toll came in the form of a majority of the field suffering some form of damage.

In addition to potentially reducing some of the danger associated with one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks, drivers foresee positives in also dialing back any financial destruction.

“Just from the standpoint of owners throwing away money for one extra green-white-checker, yeah,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “All you do is destroy race cars and when it gets to that point, guys just lost their minds and hold it wide open no matter what the situation. I think it’s a good thing. We tear up so much stuff there, it’d be nice for at least half the field to bring home a race car.”

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2015) — As on-track competition heats up, there’s another showdown on the line in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR’s seven touring series, as voting for the Most Popular Driver Awards begins on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Chase Elliott looks to defend his NASCAR XFINITY Series Most Popular Driver title while the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is guaranteed a new winner. Fans can vote once per day online for the Most Popular Driver Awards at www.NASCAR.com/mostpopulardriver.

Voting is open and runs through Friday, Nov. 20 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Saturday, Nov. 21 for the NASCAR XFINITY Series, prior to the respective season finale races at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend. Voting for the seven NASCAR touring series will also conclude Saturday, Nov. 21.

The winners will be announced at the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards. The combined postseason gala will take place at the Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Florida on Monday, Nov. 23.

The Most Popular Driver Award winners for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and NASCAR Mexico Series will be honored at the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Series Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame/Charlotte Convention Center on Saturday, Dec. 12.

To be eligible to receive Most Popular Driver votes, NASCAR XFINITY Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers must have selected to receive 2015 championship driver points in their respective series. Additionally, drivers in every series must have attempted at least half of each of their series’ races this season.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2015) – As on-track competition heats up, there’s another showdown on the line in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR’s seven touring series, as voting for the Most Popular Driver Awards begins on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by

Posted on October 5, 2015 by

Below is a breakdown of how the full 43-car field fared at Dover International Speedway.

1. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick scored his spot in the Round of 12 in dramatic fashion by leading a career-best 355 laps and notching the 750th victory for manufacturer Chevrolet.

2. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Post-race, Busch said he was pleased with where his team finished, citing it had a second-place car, but also adding it had quite a bit of ground to make up to catch the “lightning-fast” No. 4 team.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The final caution flag was a lucky break for Earnhardt, who took the opportunity to address a loose wheel. He then used a solid restart to slip past fellow Chase contender Jamie McMurray and punch his ticket to the next round.

4. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. “Nice work guys. Nothing to be ashamed of,” McMurray radioed his team after just missing the cut for Round 2. For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

5. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola was posting top-five lap times with 55 laps to go, but needed those remaining circuits to pick up seven spots and match his best Dover result.

6. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The decision to stop twice during the fifth caution period to ensure the No. 5 was full of fuel didn’t hurt Kahne, who earned his seventh Dover top 10.

7. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth, already a Round 2 contender thanks to his Loudon victory, spent the remaining 125 laps on Sunday looking for more corner speed.

8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse restarted 10th after the fifth caution flag, and he held on for his best Dover finish.

9. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson looked to play the spoiler when he moved into the top three in the final 100 laps, but a decision to stay out during the final caution flag hurt his chances.

10. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano advances to the next round of the Chase with his ninth Dover top 10.

11. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. Truex, a Round 2 contender, climbed through the field after starting from the rear when NASCAR had a post-inspection issue with the flare on his side skirt.

12. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. “Man, it’s never easy,” Gordon told his team after a rough final restart. “I know that wasn’t easy,” spotter Eddie D’Hondt said. “But we did what we needed to” (to advance). For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

13. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing. Biffle got sideways with 11 laps to go, but saved his car while running 15th.

14. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer recovered after dropping from eighth to 25th when he made an unscheduled stop on Lap 175 for a loose wheel.

15. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Crew chief Darian Grubb didn’t want to risk the No. 19’s spot in the next round of the Chase so he called his driver back down pit road during the sixth caution flag for a right-front tire issue.

16. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Around Lap 60, Keselowski was running 16th when he reported that his engine temperatures were dropping. He maintained and will compete in the second round of the Chase.

17. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. An issue with the left-front jack bolt caused Busch to lose ride height late in the race. The team corrected the issue but still had to make additional repairs during the Lap 374 stop under caution.

18. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin won the race off pit road after a four-tire stop during the competition caution, but his forward momentum was stalled because he was tagged for speeding. A second penalty sealed the deal, but he still advanced because he won Chicagoland.

19. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman earned the beneficiary pass after the third caution flag and managed to stay only one lap down as the race progressed. He advanced to the second round of the Chase.

20. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish and his team chased the handling of his No. 9 Ford all day, even as the track took on rubber.

21. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick worked with her team to help her No. 10 Chevy take off better around Dover’s 1-mile oval.

22. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan, who fell off the lead lap by Lap 105, had previously told his team he was “too free on exit and pretty snug in the center.”

23. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon’s team made several chassis adjustments during the second half of the race to help him get into the corner better.

24. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was running 25th during the first half of Sunday’s race when he was hooked in the right rear and saved his car from spinning on-track.

25. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Menard rolled off the grid 14th and almost immediately went backward as he watched his first Chase run fade.

26. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart recently announced he’d retire from driving after 2016 to focus on ownership. But on Sunday, the driver of the No. 14 focused on pit strategy to improve his track position.

27. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier received the beneficiary pass during the competition caution, but spent much of the race looking for mid-corner grip.

28. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Like his teammate Brett Moffitt, Whitt discovered that his car improved around Dover as the 1-mile concrete oval took on rubber.

29. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger was going too fast trying to get onto pit road when he spun up the track on Lap 311.

30. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland reported a tight-handling condition during the final 60 laps of Sunday’s race, which his team worked to address.

31. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Halfway through a fuel run when the fifth caution flag was waved, Bayne elected to take the wave-around like most cars one or more laps down.

32. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman and his team continually made adjustments on the No. 7 Chevy throughout Sunday’s race trying to find balance.

33. Reed Sorenson, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Already three laps down and in 36th, Sorenson told his team that he was “just racing the track right now” when they informed him leader Kevin Harvick was bearing down.

34. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. “Holy crap,” DiBenedetto said while running 37th on Lap 101 when he learned leader Kevin Harvick was on his bumper — again.

35. J.J. Yeley, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. Long green-flag runs were a struggle Sunday for Yeley.

36. Josh Wise, No. 32 Ford, Go FAS Racing. Wise sustained minimal nose damage after making contact with Jeb Burton on Lap 3.

37. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. During the fifth caution flag, Annett reported that his entry was neutral and he couldn’t pick up the gas when he wanted to.

38. Alex Kennedy, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Kennedy rolled off the grid 36th in his Dover debut.

39. Timmy Hill, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Starting 43rd at the fast 1-mile oval made forward progress an immediate issue for Hill in his fourth Dover appearance.

40. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill’s fear that his engine was “letting go” was realized on Lap 372 and prompted the eighth caution flag.

41. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. A torn rear axle seal sidelined Johnson in his 500th Cup start and ended his quest for a seventh championship.

42. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Moffitt’s lap times were improving as the track picked up rubber, but his car was “killed” when he blew a right-front and made hard contact with the wall to bring out the seventh caution flag.

43. Jeb Burton, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Burton spun on Lap 3 and cut a tire on Lap 192 to bring out the caution flag twice on Sunday.

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Nascar

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

DOVER, Del. — How strong was Kevin Harvick and the Stewart-Haas Racing team in Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway?

“If we would have had qualifying on Friday,” crew chief Rodney Childers said Sunday evening, “we’d have led 400 (laps).”

Folks laughed and Childers smiled. But beneath the euphoria of another victory, Childers wasn’t kidding.

Harvick, the defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, didn’t lead every lap in the series’ 29th race. He led 355. The dominating performance came one week after the No. 4 Chevrolet was out front for 216 of 300 laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

A miscalculation cost Harvick that particular victory — his fuel cell ran dry just three laps from the finish to drop him from first to 21st. Combined with a crash at Chicagoland Speedway the previous week, Harvick arrived in Dover with seemingly little chance of advancing out of the Challenger Round of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Fifteenth in a field of 16 that would see four drivers eliminated from Chase contention, Harvick didn’t accomplish the impossible at Dover. The improbable? Yes. The impossible? No.

We’ve seen this movie before. Faced with elimination last year, Harvick thrashed the field at Phoenix and then went on a week later to win the race and the championship at Homestead.

Pressure rolls off the 39-year-old like rain off a freshly waxed car. Being put in a must-win situation isn’t pressure in Harvick’s world. It’s opportunity.

Pressure is being thrust into the spotlight following the loss of one of the sport’s legendary figures.

“That was pretty high,” Harvick said of the call-up to fill the ride formerly held by seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt in 2001. “There will never be anything close to that one.

“When you look at the sport’s biggest hero gone, you look at millions of race fans that are depending upon somebody to drive that car and you have 350 people that have jobs and families and you’re their guy, never done it before, but good luck. You know what I mean? That’s a lot of pressure.”

Before Sunday, Harvick had never won at Dover. Cross the 1-mile concrete track off the list. Only Sonoma, Texas, Pocono and Kentucky remain to be conquered.

In a span of barely three-and-a-half hours Sunday, Harvick and his team went from the best team not expected to advance to the team to beat from here on out.

Runner-up Kyle Busch, extending his own amazing season by racing his way into the next round from outside the top 12, said as much.

“That was a guy,” Busch admitted, “that we wanted to knock out … that’s a guy that can win all these races and you don’t want to have to compete against a guy like that.”

Harvick has finished second 10 times this year, and to come so close without closing the deal can be disheartening. It can also build character.

“If you’re going to get frustrated over running like we’ve run this year, you’re probably going to be a detriment to your team,” Harvick said.

Win or lose, he said, you show up at the start of a new workweek and begin anew.

“It’s just the nature of this team and what they do, and the character of it is deep, and they all believe in each other,” he said. “When you have a group of people like this that doesn’t do things out of the ordinary for situations like this, you know, they just look at it as another task at hand.”

He has led more than 2,000 laps for the second consecutive season, a mark as impressive as this year’s 19 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.

It was a demoralizing defeat for those who thought they had the defending champion on the ropes. But there are more opportunities ahead for Busch and others in the Chase field.

“We’ll see what happens,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said. “There are still two more rounds to figure out who’s going to make it to Homestead.”

In the meantime, Harvick and his group aren’t making any apologies for Sunday’s runaway.

““We’re not going to ride around fifth all day and wait to take the lead at the end,” Childers said. “That’s not what we’re made out of.

“We came here to lead laps and to do our job and to end up with that car in Victory Lane.”

And at the end of the day, that’s exactly what they accomplished.