July 8, 2011
By Rebecca Gladden
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visited Daytona last weekend for the Coke Zero 400, the 17th race of the 2011 season.
The race was won by David Ragan in his first-ever Cup victory. It was considered vindication for the Roush-Fenway driver, who was in contention to win the Daytona 500 back in February when he was penalized for changing lanes before the start-finish line on a restart with two laps to go.
Trevor Bayne, who had been Ragan's drafting partner in the late going at the 500, took the checkered flag back in February. Saturday, it was Ragan's turn to celebrate in Victory Lane at Daytona, thanks to strong and committed drafting help from teammate Matt Kenseth.
The Coke Zero 400 marked the beginning of a ten-race summer segment of the NASCAR season known as the Race to the Chase, encompassing races 17 through 26 of the 36-race season. After race number 26 at Richmond in September, the 12-driver Chase field will be solidified - including two "wildcard" spots that are new this year.
Saturday's win temporarily places Ragan in one of the two wildcard spots for the Chase, which will be awarded to the two drivers between 11th and 20th in points with the most victories when the Chase begins in earnest. Currently, Ragan, 17th in points, and Denny Hamlin, ranked 11th, are the only drivers between 11th and 20th with a race win.
While Ragan's win at Daytona and subsequent wildcard ranking garnered headlines this week, and deservedly so, an equally important outcome of Saturday's race was the effect it had at the top of the point standings.
Kevin Harvick finished seventh in the Coke Zero 400 - pretty respectable from his 31st-place starting spot - while Carl Edwards, who was 14th on the starting grid, finished 37th after being involved in a wreck early in the race.
As a result of their respective finishes Saturday night, Edwards and Harvick swapped positions in the standings, with Harvick moving up one spot to first and Edwards slipping a spot to second. Kevin's lead over Carl is now a slim five points.
Harvick’s vault to the top of the point standings is especially noteworthy given the way his 2011 season started. Back in the season-opening Daytona 500, the No. 29 team suffered a blown motor just 22 laps into the race.
As a result of the engine failure, Harvick finished 37th in the 500, meaning he started the season a deep 37th in points. Edwards, who finished second in the 500, ended up first in points because race winner Trevor Bayne is not contending for the Sprint Cup title this year and not collecting Cup points.
Now, after 17 races, Harvick has not only caught Edwards in points, but surpassed him, thanks in large part to his three victories overall compared to just one for Carl.
It’s a remarkable achievement considering the deficit Harvick has overcome, though not an entirely unexpected one.
After all, last year, Harvick amassed a lead of more than 200 points (under the old points system) over the rest of the field prior to the start of the Chase. Then, following race 26 in Richmond, under the rules of the championship format, Harvick’s huge points lead was erased. He started the 2010 Chase ranked third – 30 points behind Denny Hamlin and 10 points behind Jimmie Johnson. The three drivers ended the season in the top three, with Johnson, of course winning the championship – his fifth in as many years.
Kevin Harvick has earned a reputation, not just this season but throughout his career, as a great ‘closer’ - a driver who seemingly comes out of nowhere to finish races up front.
So far this year, it seems he’s proving that ability in the points race as well.
If he can sustain his momentum after the points reset in September, Harvick could be on his way to his first Cup championship.
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