Kevin Harvick hit the jackpot on Sunday, taking his sixth 2018 win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after an intense battle with Kyle Busch for the lead in the final laps to cross the finish line first.
Harvick had already conquered the one-mile zipline at Foxwoods Resort Casino in May to announce the multi-year partnership between the speedway and Foxwoods Resort Casino, and now, the majestic Rainmaker trophy is his, along with 19-pound Loudon the Lobster, after he conquered “The Magic Mile” for his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at NHMS.
With seven laps to go, Harvick got to the back bumper and pushed Kyle Busch out of the way. Harvick was all over Busch, tapping him multiple times, sending him out of the racing groove into Turn 2 to take the lead for good.
“We were just running out of laps, and I knew I might not get to him again,” said Harvick. “As hard as both of us were pushing, I got to him, and I knew I needed to take my opportunity. I felt like I needed to get him up out of the groove, and I got him up out of the groove and was able to get by.”
Busch didn’t feel like he had the best car in the race, even though he certainly knows how to get to Victory Lane at NHMS. The 2015 NASCAR champion is the all-time leader in NASCAR national series wins at NHMS including a trip to Victory Lane in last September’s race.
“I knew our car wasn’t going to be good enough,” said Busch. “Those SHR cars were all fast today, and we just didn’t have what we needed there, so I was just backing up, and Harvick was using me up there for about four or five corners in a row, which is fine. I think he could have made the move work cleaner than that, but you know, it’s all fair game when you are racing. How you race is how you get raced.”
Harvick qualified 14th, made up seven spots by the end of Stage 1 and was up to fourth by the end of Stage 2. He led three times for a total of 12 laps, including the most important lap – the final one that earned him a spot in Victory Lane.
“I want to thank all the fans for sticking it out in the rain today,” said Harvick. “What a great race today. Thanks everybody from Foxwoods and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Appreciate it! Awesome day!”
For full schedule and ticket information on all 2018 events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the September 21-22 Full Throttle Fall Weekend, please stop by the ticket office, visit the speedway website at www.NHMS.com or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.
TSC PR