Another runner-up finish left Kevin Harvick frustrated and questioning his team’s strategy following the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Quicken Loans 400: Kevin Harvick finishes 2nd, questions team strategy
Kevin Harvick was not pleased with his team’s pit strategy following a runner-up finish Sunday.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Harvick led a race-high 63 laps Sunday, and was running faster than leader and eventual winner Jimmie Johnson in the closing stages. But Harvick never was able to catch Johnson. The turning point occurred when Harvick elected not to pit while leading on Lap 123 -- a decision which eventually allowed Johnson to leapfrog into first.
Quicken Loans 400
Quicken Loans 400
“The car was fast, just wound up on the wrong side of all the strategy,” said a clearly agitated Harvick. “We finished second, and that’s it.”
An earlier decision by crew chief Rodney Childers to take two tires rather than four also appeared to irk Harvick, who questioned the decision mid-race via in-team communication. Childers would later accept responsibility in a message posted on his Twitter feed.
“I made a mistake not pitting earlier in the race that ended up costing us the race,” Childers wrote. “Kevin Harvick and the guys did a great job all day.”
Despite a pair of victories, Sunday was the latest in a line of several races this season where the No. 4 team had a car capable of winning only to fall short.
Harvick was leading when a flat tire necessitated a green-flag pit stop two weeks ago at Dover. A tire issue also cost Harvick a solid finish last week at Pocono, who was running third at the time. Earlier problems this season include a multitude of mechanical failures and mistakes on pit road both by driver and crew.
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