Tough Night For Harvick In Phoenix

For driver Kevin Harvick, Phoenix International Raceway is usually a track that produces good finishes but for Saturday Night's running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 the Shell-Pennzoil driver found himself in the back of the pack struggling with the handling on the No. 29 RCR Chevrolet. 

The Shell-Pennzoil team worked hard throughout the night to help their driver and got the car better but Harvick was only able to pull out a 30th-place finish at the end of the event.

After starting in the 33rd position, Harvick immediately noticed that his No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet was not handling well as he began to lose positions in the opening stages of the race.

The first caution flag waved on lap 53 allowing Harvick the chance to come to pit road for adjustments. The Shell-Pennzoil crew gave the Bakersfield, California native fresh tires and fuel along with adjustments before sending him back out on the track.

As the race continued, the driving conditions for the two-time Nationwide Series champion began to get worse. Another caution flag waved on lap 102 with Harvick returning to pit road for additional adjustments and service. At this point the Shell-Pennzoil driver was running in the 35th position.

By the time the race reached lap 137, Harvick had gone down a lap to the leaders while the Shell-Pennzoil crew continued to make adjustments to try to get his car better.

The next portion of the race saw the Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet begin to run a little better and Harvick gained his lap back through the "Lucky Dog" when caution waved on lap 190. The car continued to run better but was not to the point where the 2007 Daytona 500 winner felt he was competitive.

On lap 267 Harvick went a lap down for the second time and remained a lap behind for the duration of the race.

In the closing stages of the race the handling on the Shell-Pennzoil Chevy began to go away again with Harvick taking the checkered flag in the 30th position.

"We started off pretty bad but I thought we had a handle on it midway through the race," commented Harvick. "We got our lap back with the Lucky Dog but then the handling went away again. It was a frustrating night for the Shell-Pennzoil team."

Harvick dropped two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings as a result of his 30th-place finish. He now sits in the 16th position 77 points out of the top-12.

Mark Martin took the win at Phoenix on Saturday night with Tony Stewart finishing second. Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action next weekend for the running of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).