Taking advantage of a late Kyle Busch pit stop that trapped him in traffic, Kevin Harvick capitalized to win Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
NASCAR Nationwide Series 2014 at Chicagoland Speedway results: Kyle Busch dominates, Kevin Harvick takes victory
Pit strategy propelled Kevin Harvick to the win Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway.
Jerry Markland
Busch was dominant for much of the afternoon, leading 141 of 200 laps. But during caution on Lap 153 for a blown motor by Jeremy Clements, Busch hit pit road for four tires while many others took two, including Harvick, or stayed on the track outright.
Mired in traffic, Busch restarted 16th and couldn’t get back to the front. He finished third behind Harvick and Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney and Trevor Bayne placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
“The 54 (Busch) got buried in the field and at that point it was our race to lose,” Harvick said. “My car was actually faster on two tires than four tires.”
Chicagoland was the second time in four weeks Busch failed to win after having led the most laps.
“I had a really fast car,” Busch said. “We knew we needed to come down and get tires, but obviously four was the wrong call.”
Harvick’s fourth Nationwide win of 2014 is a continuation of what has been a successful season for JR Motorsports. The team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns nine combined victories between its three teams, which includes full-time entries for Chase Elliott and Regan Smith, who sit first and second in points.
Elliott Sadler, Ty Dillon, Smith, Brian Scott and Elliott completed the top 10.
By finishing eighth, Smith gained a point on Elliott, who holds an 18-point advantage with seven races remaining.
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