Harvick: SHR's plan was "all about survive and advance"
Kevin Harvick says Stewart-Haas Racing’s plan to attack Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway was a good, but sometimes plans go awry.










In the case of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race, all four SHR cars made an conscious to stick together on the track, deciding if all could finish well, all would be in a better position for next weekend’s cutoff race at Kansas.
The plan was working to perfection until a late-race caution which sent the 188-lap race into overtime. Before taking the green for the final two laps, Harvick was forced to pit with low fuel pressure.
During the overtime, both Kurt Busch – who was leading – and Bowyer encountered the same issue. That left teammate Aric Almirola in Victory Lane, coasting home ahead of Bowyer.
“I’m just really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. Mine sputtered there on the fuel pressure and it dropped down in the red and they did the right thing of coming in and pitting and not taking a chance,” Harvick said.
“You just need to put yourself in a position to where you’re good for next week and just glad that one of our cars won and happy for Aric. We planned on working together and I think knowing how fast our cars are it all worked out really well today.
“Sometimes that doesn’t all go as planned.”
Round of 8
Almirola’s win locks him into the third round of the playoffs. With one race remaining, Harvick sits 63 points above the cutoff, Busch is 30 above it and Bowyer is 21 points to the good.
That means SHR will have a very good chance at all four cars coming out of Kansas still with a chance to win the championship.
“We’re good to the next round points-wise, so that was really our goal coming into today to try to do everything that we could to put ourselves in a position to go to Kansas and just race,” Harvick said.
“That’s great for the team mentally to give the guys and Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and everybody kind of a mental break in this part of the season to just go to Kansas and be able to race the car and not have to worry about points or stage points or anything like that is what you want to do.
“For us, we did a good job last week, we did a great job today and wound up in a good position for Kansas. It’s all about survive and advance at this point.”
Taking teamwork to another level
SHR’s competition director, Greg Zipadelli, said the organization talked a lot about cooperation coming into this race after squandering what it thought could have been a good opportunity last weekend at Dover.
“I think after last week, we didn’t do a great job executing as a group, because we could have had the same result,” he said. “I just think everybody said, ‘We need to help each other, work together like teamwork, show everybody that we are teammates.’ I felt like our cars were strong enough that if we did that, we would have a very strong day.
“We came in here with (Almirola and Bowyer) needing stage points. Everybody executed that perfectly. Then at the end of the race, let’s do everything we can to help each other. Everybody knew the circumstances.
“We pay these guys every week honestly to be selfish, take care of themselves, run as hard as they can and finish up as high as they can, win as many races as they can. Everybody gave and took today.”

Previous article
Kurt Busch criticizes NASCAR for "two missed calls" at finish
Next article
Larson says Talladega pace was “embarrassing at times”

About this article
Series | NASCAR Cup |
Event | Talladega II |
Drivers | Kevin Harvick |
Teams | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Author | Jim Utter |
Harvick: SHR's plan was "all about survive and advance"
Trending
From the archive: Dale Earnhardt’s final Autosport interview
The death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 shocked NASCAR to the core. At the Daytona 24 Hours, two weeks before his fatal accident, ‘The Intimidator’ shared his expectations of challenging for an eighth Cup title with JONATHAN INGRAM, in an article first published in the 15 February 2001 issue of Autosport magazine. Little did we know then what tragedy would unfold…
The lasting NASCAR legacy after Dale Earnhardt’s death
On February 18, 2001, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Dale Earnhardt – the fearless ‘Intimidator’ – was in his element at Daytona International Speedway. While his own DEI team’s cars ran 1-2 towards the finish line, his famed #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo was playing rear gunner to block any late runs from the chasing pack. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strongarm tactics that encapsulated his persona… but his actions in those moments sadly proved to be his last.
Inspired by Pitbull, the “revolution” sweeping through NASCAR
The NASCAR Cup Series is changing. Whether it be the gradual morphing out the seasoned drivers of yesterday as the next generation step up, a radical calendar shake-up featuring more road courses than ever before and the prospect of an all-new car on the horizon, stock car racing’s highest level is nearing the end of a huge facelift.
The NASCAR storylines to watch out for in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season…
Why Kyle Larson can't blow his big shot at redemption
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a chance of redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Effectively replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith...
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future…
Why Kyle Larson deserves his second chance in a cancel culture
“You can’t hear me? Hey n*****” Those fateful words uttered by Kyle Larson, spoken into his esports headset on April 12, were directed at his sim racing spotter – but instead they quickly became amplified around the world via social media, including his own Twitch stream.