Kevin Harvick Coke Zero 400 Race Recap

Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Folds of Honor ran strong in the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola on Saturday night but ultimately finished 23rd after being collected in a last-lap incident at Daytona International Speedway. The Bakersfield, Calif., native started the 160-lap event from the 11th position and fell to the back of the 43 car field during the early laps in an effort to protect his red, white and blue Chevrolet from the elements of superspeedway racing, namely high engine temperatures. As Harvick circled the track in the back of the field he informed the team that the car was loose.

The Shane Wilson-led pit crew worked on the car’s handling during several scheduled green and yellow-flag pit stops, allowing their driver to advance his track position and move into the top 10 by lap 150. During the final laps, Harvick worked with Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton to maneuver their way toward the front of the field.

When the duo was spilt up on the white flag lap, Harvick received drafting help from the No. 88 Chevrolet and advanced to the sixth position on the lap 159 before another competitor made contact with the Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet, sending Harvick for a spin in the fourth turn on the final lap. With his damaged race car unable to cross the finish line, Harvick settled for a 23rd-place finish. Harvick remains sixth in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 90 points behind the leader.

Start – 11
Finish – 23
Laps Led – 0
Points – 6

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTE: “It was another tough night for the Budweiser Folds of Honor team. We did our best to stay out of the trouble during the race, but fell victim to superspeedway racing at the end. We will regroup and focus on the race next weekend at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway).”