NASCAR Saturday race at Pocono results: 3 takeaways from Kevin Harvick’s victory

Before Saturday, Kevin Harvick was one of a handful of NASCAR drivers with 51 Cup Series race victories. Now, he’s a 52-time race winner who finally conquered Pocono Raceway after 39 career starts at the track.

“That’s great to finally check Pocono off the list,” Harvick said on FOX after winning the Pocono Organics 325. He had previously finished in second place four times, but never in first at Pocono Raceway.

The No. 4 driver completed the race just ahead of Denny Hamlin, in second place, and in front of Aric Almirola in third. Harvick and Hamlin both have three race wins this season.

Cup Series points leader Harvick now only has Kentucky and the ROVAL race at Charlotte to check off his resume. He will start 20th for Sunday’s race at Pocono after the lineup is inverted.

Pit strategy played out at Pocono

After pit stops and fuel runs cycled through in the final stage, Harvick emerged at the race leader with 17 laps left in the race. Both Harvick and Stage 2 winner Almirola pitted at the same time after the second stage, but Harvick took only two tires, while Almirola’s team changed all four.

Still, Harvick was able to put over 10 seconds between him and Almirola in third place with under 10 laps to go.

“That all started on the (final) restart and getting around those cars quickly and being able to get some clean air and get out there as far as possible with Aric,” Harvick said after the race, noting his team’s quick pit stop. “And then even after (we) pitted, (we were) able to run some really good laps.”

It was Hamlin who ran up behind Harvick in the same line using the same strategy, but the No. 11 car complained about vibration and was unable to pass Harvick before the checkered flag.

“I thought I optimized my lap time that whole run,” Hamlin said after the race. “I think we ran (Harvick) down for four or five seconds, something like that, on the same tire strategy, on the same lap. So it’s all we could do. It just didn’t work out.”

Harvick, SHR, Fords looked strong

Led by Harvick for the finish, Joey Logano in Stage 1 and Almirola in Stage 2, Ford cars handled the Tricky Triangle with ease. Almirola, who started on the pole by random draw, finished in second place in the first stage, then secured his first stage victory of the season at Pocono.

“I’m happy,” Almirola said. “When you get on these rolls like this where you consistently run in the top-five, it just builds so much confidence in myself, in my crew chief, in my team guys. Everybody walks around with a little more pep in their step.”

Logano finished second in Stage 2, but dropped out of the top-10 in the final laps.

Almirola led the most laps (61) of the 130-lap race, a first for the No. 10 driver this season. In addition to Harvick and Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 14 driver Clint Bowyer finished in seventh.

“It just seems like certain teams have got stuff going right now,” Hamlin said, noting Harvick’s No. 4 team and Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 car. “It’s not as much about the manufacturer right now and how good your cars is as much as what teams are hitting the setups and getting them close right off the truck.”

Team Penske’s Blaney and Wood Brothers’ Matt DiBenedetto also had strong races, as both finished in the top-10 for the first two stages to secure points for their teams and Ford manufacturer.

Still no wins for Kyle Busch

Although Hamlin was a contender for the win at the finish, Joe Gibbs teammate and reigning Cup Series champion Busch has had a quiet start to the season. Busch, who won a race at Pocono last summer, finished in fourth, eighth, and fifth place, respectively, in each of the three stages.

“We were just a little tight all day,” Busch said after the race. “We really fought tight early on, but we made some really good adjustments and got it a lot closer and got it a lot better.”

Before Saturday’s race, Busch said he and his team missed having practice sessions on FOX Sports, but since the field is returning to the track Sunday, expect the No. 18 team to make the necessary adjustments to put him closer to victory lane.

“Our strategy there worked out to get us in the top five,” Busch said. “That was about all we could ask for out of today. We got some really good ideas for tomorrow hopefully that will help us out and hopefully get us some speed so we can keep up with those front guys.”

Harvick could be running out front again Sunday. The No. 4 driver said in terms of car adjustments, the team probably won’t make many.

“We had great practice today being 20th,” Harvick said. “So I think as you look at the track position, we were able to overcome that with the right strategy, so in the end, that’s what it’s going to boil down to.”

Sunday will be a packed schedule for NASCAR at Pocono since all three series are running in a row at the raceway for the first time. Saturday’s Truck Series race was moved to 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning due to rain. That race will be followed by the Xfinity race at 12:30 p.m. and the Cup race at 4 p.m. all on FS1.

NASCAR Organics 325 at Pocono results

This story was originally published June 27, 2020 at 7:34 PM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription