A twin win for Harvicks in Trucks Series finale
APNews
Nov 20, 2009
Kevin and Delana Harvick were an extremely happy couple Friday night.
Kevin Harvick made a late pass to cap a dominating show to win the season-ending Trucks Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and wife Delana clinched the owners' championship when Ron Hornaday Jr. _ who had already wrapped up his fourth Trucks title _ finished eighth.
"That's the way to put an end to a year, right there!" Harvick shrieked into the radio as he crossed the line.
Kevin Harvick went into the pit after Ryan Sieg went into the wall and brought out a caution flag with seven laps left. Harvick took four tires, exited pit road first and lined up just behind Timothy Peters _ who took a risk by staying out _ for a green-white-checkered finish.
Harvick passed Peters in the very first turn after the restart and cruised to the win.
"I knew the 17 was a sitting duck there with four tires on our truck," Kevin Harvick said. "So, it was a lot of fun."
And then he and Hornaday went side-by-side after the checkered fell, sending thick plumes of white burnout smoke into the air.
The celebration was on.
"To close out the season like this, it's really what we wanted to do," said Harvick, also the winner last week in Phoenix.
For Hornaday, adding the owners' title for Kevin Harvick Inc. made his championship complete.
"To win the owners' title, you've got to do that," Hornaday said. "It's everything. You can't just win the drivers' title, because it takes a whole team."
Hornaday joined an elite list of drivers who have four national series championships, joining names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson could get there Sunday, if he wins his fourth straight Chase crown.
History, though, mattered little to Hornaday on Friday night. This one, he said, was for his owner.
"To come here and win them both ... good night all around for KHI," Hornaday said. "Pretty cool."
Matt Crafton finished second, polesitter Colin Braun took third and Peters finished fourth. It was Crafton's fifth runner-up finish of the season.
"We were the bridesmaids a lot this year," Crafton said.
And when it was over, Kyle Busch _ who seemed in position to steal the show at times, plus looked poised to take the owner title for Billy Ballew _ was steaming mad.
Busch qualified eighth, then had to start at the back of the 36-truck pack because of an engine change.
Ordinarily, that might be devastating. For Busch, who came in with 11 top-5 finishes in 14 Trucks Series starts this season, all the lost ground was made up in about 10 minutes.
Instead, his real trouble came later.