Harvick wins for first time in a year

July 14, 2002

JOLIET, Ill. AP reported that an aggressive move by Kevin Harvick set the stage for his first win in a year.

It also brought a new round of criticism for NASCAR's bad boy, but not before a late-race gamble on gas by crew chief Gil Martin paid off.

Harvick was told to stay on the track while most of the other leaders pitted, but that earned him a victory Sunday in the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

The hard-charging Harvick listened to his crew chief and barely made it. He had to walk to victory lane after running out of gas as he tried to do some celebratory tire-smoking doughnuts.

Harvick's big break came on the 197th of 267 laps when he dived to the bottom of the slightly banked track on the main straightaway trying to pass Kurt Busch. Harvick wound up losing control and skidded through the paved apron area below the white line in the first turn.

On some tracks, that is considered out of bounds. Not at Chicagoland.

Harvick was able to regain control and pit after several drivers, including Jimmy Spencer, spun or crashed in his wake.

That allowed Harvick to make what turned out to be his final pit stop with 68 laps remaining.

Harvick has been criticized for rough driving, spent time on probation and was banned for one Winston Cup race earlier this year after hitting Coy Gibbs in a truck race.

His victory wasn't popular with everyone.

Jeff Gordon, who also stayed on the track during the last round of stops and finished second, called Harvick's move onto the apron "stupid."

Spencer had even stronger criticism.

"We had a car that could have been in the top 10," he said. "Harvick drove on the apron and it caused an accident and we got in it and it took us out. It was uncalled for.

"He still drives like an idiot, but what are you going to do? NASCAR said there's no out of bounds, but if there's out of bounds at Daytona, there should be out of bounds here."

When told of Gordon's remark, Harvick said, "Jeff Gordon got second. Maybe if he had been a little braver he might have won. He thinks it's a stupid move. I think it was cool."

Team owner Richard Childress backed his driver, the man who replaced the late Dale Earnhardt last year.

"I think race drivers today, to win, have to be bold," Childress said. "I have seen Jeff Gordon make some of those same moves and win races."

The victory that ended a season-long slump would not have been possible if Martin hadn't taken his gamble during the last of seven caution flags.

"He told me to stay out, that we had enough gas to get to the end and not to worry about it," Harvick said. "The timing was perfect. I'll have to save the good doughnuts for next time."

The 26-year-old driver, one of NASCAR's sensational Kiddie Corps of twenty-somethings, picked up his third career victory -- but first in the 12 months since his last visit to this suburban Chicago track.

The race's dramatic finish was set up on lap 240. Pole-winner Ryan Newman, who was leading the race, nearly crashed as his right front tire went flat. Jerry Nadeau lost control of his car and crashed behind Newman.

The seventh caution of the race allowed the leaders to pit, but Harvick and Gordon -- who had been running ninth and 10th, respectively -- stayed out.

Gordon, the four-time and defending series champion, couldn't get past the new leader on the restart on lap 248, and Harvick's Chevrolet pulled ahead steadily to the finish.

"The biggest worry I had was on the restart," Harvick said. "Jeff Gordon is great on restarts. When he didn't get me there, I thought we could win it."

Harvick won by 0.812 seconds, finishing about eight car-lengths ahead on the 1 1/2-mile oval. It was only his second top-10 finish of the season.

"My car was great in clean air, but when I got up close to him, the front end just took off," said Gordon, whose winless string is now 26 races. "He drove the line he needed to run and I'm just happy to come in second."

Tony Stewart, who appeared to have the fastest car on the track through most of the last half of the race, wound up third after taking gas only on his last pit stop.

Stewart, who left immediately after the finish to fly to Kokomo, Ind., for a sprint car race Sunday night, said, "I had the best car out there, but we had a fuel problem. Halfway through our runs, something was happening to the fuel pressure and I had to come in earlier than we wanted to."

Jimmie Johnson, who started 37th in the 43-car field, finished fourth, just ahead of fellow rookie Newman and Busch, who qualified second but had to start from the rear of the field after blowing an engine in practice Saturday.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 73 laps but lost his final lead to Newman on lap 202 and wound up finishing 10th after taking on four new tires on his last stop. Newman was second in laps led with 56.

Sterling Marlin, who came into the race with a 77-point lead over Mark Martin, stopped with the front of his car over the white line at the front of his pit stall when he came in under caution on lap 140. That's an automatic one-lap penalty.

He wound up 16th, the first car a lap down, while Martin was ninth, cutting the lead to 49 points. Johnson trails by 89, Gordon by 95 and Stewart by 157 at the halfway point of the 36-race season.