NASCAR: In 39th try, Kevin Harvick finally wins at Pocono

In his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway, Kevin Harvick has finally taken the checkered flag as the winner.

After four runner-up finishes in his first 38 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, all in his most recent 11 starts at the track dating back to August of 2014, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has finally won at the Tricky Triangle.

Harvick’s victory in this 130-lap rain-delayed Pocono Organics 325 around the three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) triangle in Long Pond, Pennsylvania is the 52nd win of his career and his third of the season, with all three coming since the Cup Series returned from the 10-week hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Now there are just two tracks on the schedule where the 44-year-old Bakersfield, California native has never won: Kentucky Speedway, where he has competed just nine times, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, where he has competed only twice.

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The driver of the #4 Ford, who started the race in ninth place, held off a late charge from the driver of the #11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, to win this afternoon’s race by 0.761 seconds. Hamlin has now recorded three consecutive top four finishes.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola, who started the race from the pole position, dominated until the final round of pit stops, when Harvick took only two tires and Almirola took four since Harvick had made his most recent pit stop more recently than Almirola had.

Almirola, after leading a race-high 61 laps in his #10 Ford, still managed to finish in third place, giving him two straight season-high finishes of third. Unlike at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday, however, he did it facing in the right direction this time around. He has now recorded three consecutive top five finishes.

Leavine Family Racing’s Christopher Bell had a strong run en route to a career-high fourth place finish after starting all the way back in 36th in his #95 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., both pseudo teammates to Bell, finished behind him in fifth and sixth in their #18 Toyota and #19 Toyota, respectively.

Stewart-Haas Racing and Toyota took all of the top seven positions, as Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer recorded a solid seventh place finish in his #14 Ford. The highest non-Stewart-Haas Racing driver and non-Toyota driver was Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, an underdog who actually led a lap. He finished in a season-high eighth in his #34 Ford.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski and Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher rounded out the top 10 by finishing in ninth and 10th place in their #2 Ford and #17 Ford, respectively. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Matt Kenseth was the highest finishing Chevrolet driver in what was a disastrous day for the manufacturer. He finished in 11th in his #42 Chevrolet.

The race featured 10 lead changes, the second lowest total in 85 Cup Series races at Pocono Raceway, ahead of only the nine lead changes in last July’s race at the track. Eight different drivers led the race. Aside of Harvick, Almirola and McDowell, the race leaders were Truex, Hamlin, Buescher, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman and Team Penske’s Joey Logano.

Logano won stage one before a tire issue late derailed his chances of finishing in the top 10. Almirola won stage two. The race featured six caution flag periods, including three for on-track incidents, two to end the first two stages and one planned competition in the first stage. Of the 40 drivers who competed in the race, 37 finished and 21 finished on the lead lap.

Here are the full race results of the 2020 Pocono Organics 325 at Pocono Raceway.

Race Results
1st – Kevin Harvick
2nd – Denny Hamlin
3rd – Aric Almirola
4th – Christopher Bell
5th – Kyle Busch
6th – Martin Truex Jr.
7th – Clint Bowyer
8th – Michael McDowell
9th – Brad Keselowski
10th – Chris Buescher
11th – Matt Kenseth
12th – Ryan Blaney
13th – Matt DiBenedetto
14th – William Byron
15th – Ryan Newman
16th – Cole Custer
17th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18th – Kurt Busch
19th – Austin Dillon
20th – Ryan Preece
21st – Jimmie Johnson
22nd – Bubba Wallace
23rd – Corey LaJoie
24th – John Hunter Nemechek
25th – Chase Elliott
26th – Ty Dillon
27th – Alex Bowman
28th – Daniel Suarez
29th – Brennan Poole
30th – Tyler Reddick
31st – J.J. Yeley
32nd – Josh Bilicki
33rd – Garrett Smithley
34th – James Davison
35th – Timmy Hill
36th – Joey Logano
37th – Joey Gase
38th – Erik Jones
39th – B.J. McLeod
40th – Quin Houff

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The next race on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is tomorrow’s race at Pocono Raceway, the Pocono 350. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET.

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