Team Chevy dominated The Profit on CNBC 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway this past weekend after six of the top ten positions were taken up by Chevrolet SS drivers. Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet SS captured the 24th win of his career with Dale Earnhardt Jr., fresh off his big win at Daytona, piloting the No. 88 National Guard SS to a second place finish.
“Man, this just solidifies so many things and so many decisions,” Harvick said while celebrating in Victory Lane. “It’s been so much work with all the time and effort that these guys have put in, but what a race car. I’m just really happy and thank everybody at the Hendrick engine shop and all these cars sharing information. Dale (Earnhardt) Junior racing there for second was a lot of fun. Man, this is awesome!”
The finish marked the second consecutive race that Team Chevy has swept the top two positions at PIR, after Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne led a 1-2 finish at the Advocare 500 last year. Seven of the last 11 races at PIR have now been won by a bowtie-badged car.
After an exciting week of pranking unsuspecting journalists, Jeff Gordon finished fifth in the No 24 Pepsi MAX Chevrolet SS, moving him up one spot in the Sprint Cup Series’ standings to third place. With 30 laps left in the race, Gordon had yet to break into the top ten, but managed to make headway after a handful of caution flags and restarts that played out in his favor.
Danica Patrick was a little less lucky than her comrades at Team Chevy. Patrick finished 36th out of a 43 car lineup after her No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS was collected up in a multi-car crash half way through the race. Danica was able to continue the race after her pit crew taped up the car’s bodywork, but she saw more bad luck when her rear-tire burst, sending her into a spin that positioned her even further back in the standings.
“All we have for luck is bad,” Patrick was heard saying over her team radio.
Other appearances from Team Chevy in the top ten included six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who finished sixth in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, Ryan Newman in the No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS in seventh and Jamie McMurray in the No. 1 Cessna/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet SS in 10th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of team Chevy will be looking for even more success during the next leg of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 9.
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