Kevin Harvick saved enough fuel and powered his way to victory in the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.
While other drivers began running out of fuel in the final laps, Harvick had more than enough in the tank to make it to the finish. The 2014 Champion led 22 laps after starting in 2nd. The race wasn’t easy for the No. 4 team however, having to overcome a flat tire early in the race which put Harvick down a lap early in Stage 1.
After struggling to find victory lane early in the season, Harvick and the No. 4 team are beginning to show their strength and carry momentum as the playoffs near. When asked what is helping propel Harvick to victory lane after being absent for the first half of the season, Harvick simply stated, “Fast cars – It’s very gratifying as a team, just because I know where we started. I know if I’m not ready to drive that car, i’d be letting every one of those guys down.”
The win is the second in four races for the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team, who went winless for 19 races before finally reaching victory lane. Harvick remains the only driver at SHR to win this season, leaving Clint Bowyer, Daniel Suarez, and Aric Almirola in a precarious position heading towards the playoff cut.
After Michigan, Almirola has a 92 point cushion ahead of the playoff cut line. Clint Bowyer’s crash and 37th place finish in the Consumers Energy 400 moves the No. 14 team back to only 6 points ahead of teammate Daniel Suarez. Suarez needed a strong run and delivered with a 5th place finish in Michigan, to put his team right in the mix for a playoff position with three races left.
Team Penske Runs Out of Gas in Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan
Team Penske drivers led a total of 121 laps between three drivers and were in contention towards the finish, before a shortage of fuel brought both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski to pitroad in the final laps. After seeing all three teammates in the top 5 late in the race, Logano was only able to salvage a team-best 17th place finish.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings
Here’s a look at the playoff bubble with three races remaining in the regular season:
12. William Byron + 89
13. Kyle Larson + 71
14. Erik Jones + 70
15. Ryan Newman + 16
16. Clint Bowyer + 6
17. Daniel Suarez – 6
18. Jimmie Johnson – 12
