Harvick takes Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas — Kevin Harvick and the Stewart-Haas Racing team had already been preparing for NASCAR's finale. With another win at Texas, they now know they will be racing for a Cup title in two weeks.
Harvick won the fall Cup race at Texas for the third year in a row Sunday, again securing one of the championship-contending spots for the Nov. 17 season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"Well, we've already been going down the road," Harvick said from Victory Lane in Texas. "We've already been to the simulator, we've already built the car, and now we've just got to make sure that we do what we think is right and go with our gut and see what happens."
After starting from the pole, Harvick led 120 of 334 laps and paced a 1-2-3 finish for Stewart-Haas. He had gotten to Texas fifth in points, below the cutline for a championship run.
"It's a scenario that takes a lot of pressure off next week," car owner Tony Stewart said. "It does take that edge off. ... It's big for the organization."
Harvick drove the No. 4 Ford to the lead for the seventh and final time on lap 255, and finished 1 1/2 seconds ahead of teammate Aric Almirola. Daniel Suarez, the Stewart-Haas driver still unsigned for next season, was third.
With Martin Truex Jr. already locked in for the final four on Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final two spots for the title run will be determined next week at Phoenix. At least one driver will get in on points.
"It is going to be a good battle for sure," said Logano, the defending Cup champion who remained in fourth in points after finishing fourth in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford at Texas. "We are definitely racing for that last spot just in case someone behind us outside of the top four wins. ... It's going to be fun."
Kyle Busch is third in the standings, only two points ahead of Logano.
"We all know one guy is going to move through on points and we have to do whatever we have to do in order to be that guy," Busch said.
Truex finished sixth at Texas, a week after clinching his title chance with a win at Martinsville. Playoff contenders Busch and Ryan Blaney were seventh and eighth, with Kyle Larson 12th. The other contenders, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott, had accidents that put them deep in the field.
Hamlin's 28th-place finish, six laps behind Harvick, dropped him from second to fifth in the standings. He is 20 points behind Logano, and only three ahead of both Larson and Blaney. Elliott is 78 points outside the final four, and 100 points behind Truex.
Harvick's fourth win this year was the 49th of his career, matching Stewart for 14th on NASCAR's career list. Harvick's only championship in his 19 Cup seasons came after a win in the finale at Miami five years ago.
Hamlin got loose coming out the fourth turn on the 81st lap and slid off the track and through the infield. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was damaged after slamming hard across the grass and over asphalt.
"Just lost control. That's all there is to it," Hamlin said. "Did the best we could, and we'll go to Phoenix and try to win. ... There's no doubt in my mind that we can go there and win. In these circumstances, I like the challenge."
