TRUCKS: Harvick Wins At Homestead Written by: Tom Jensen
Homestead, FL
Kevin Harvick won the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the first event of Ford Championship Weekend and the final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the 2009 season.
It was Harvick’s second Truck Series victory in a row, the third of the season and the sixth of his career in 101 starts. Behind Harvick, came Matt Crafton, Colin Braun, Timothy Peters and Todd Bodine
Ron Hornaday Jr., who is his boss’ teammate at Kevin Harvick Inc., clinched his fourth NCWTS championship last week in Phoenix, never led a lap at Homestead and was not a factor. He finished eighth.
All told, it was an easy cruise for Harvick, who qualified third but dominated the race from the outset.
In the final Truck Series race for Roush Fenway Racing, Colin Braun put the No. 6 Con-Way Freight Ford on the pole, just as he did in the season-opening race at Daytona International Raceway.
Kyle Busch started the race from the rear of the field because of an engine change in his Billy Ballew-owned No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota Tundra. He passed 10 trucks on the opening lap and seven more on Lap 2, as Braun
led Kevin Harvick and Mike Skinner.
Harvick took the lead on Lap 6, his Georgia Boot Chevrolet Silverado assuming the point for the first time. By Lap 20, Skinner was up to third ahead of Braun, while Busch had worked his way to seventh.
On Lap 27, Matt Crafton took second, bringing Busch with him up to third. On Lap 30, Busch had advanced to second, about six seconds behind Harvick.
The first caution flew on Lap 33, after Shane Sieg tagged the wall in his S&W Services Chevy. That sent the field down pit road for the first time, and when the two rounds of stops were completed, Harvick led Busch, Skinner, Crafton and Johnny Sauter on the Lap 37 restart.
The next yellow came out on Lap 39, after Dan Brode’s Mike Berg Trucking Dodge went around exiting Turn 2.
Just after the restart on Lap 42, Mike Bliss spun out of Turn 4 and onto pit road, just as Busch began pressuring Harvick for the lead. But the track stayed green and Harvick held the point.
On Lap 59, the yellow waved again, this time when Lance Hooper lost a right-front tire and hit the wall in Turn 2.
Busch took fuel only and took the lead on pit road, followed by David Starr, Sauter, Harvick and Tayler Malsam when the track went green on Lap 63.
At Lap 67, the halfway point of the race, Busch led Harvick by 0.698 seconds. Third was Timothy Peters, followed by Skinner, Sauter and Starr.
Harvick went back to the point on Lap 69, his fresh tires giving him a marked advantage over Busch, who was on old tires.
The turning point came on Lap 83, when Busch was forced to pit under green because of a flat right-side tire. To make matter worse, there was an outside tire violation, so Busch was given a pass-through penalty. But he ignored the penalty and was black-flagged. Once he served the penalty, Busch was a full two laps down.
At Lap 100, Harvick was 4.777 seconds up on Peters, with Crafton third, followed by Aric Almirola and Skinner.
Harvick pitted on Lap 115, taking fuel only and briefly turning the lead over to Peters, who made his final stop two laps later. Almirola then took the lead, with Harvick back up to second by Lap 120.
On Lap 122, Almirola made his pit stop, handing the lead back to Harvick. Unfortunately for Almirola, he got busted for speeding on pit road.
With 10 laps to go, Harvick was 4.282 seconds up on Peters. Then it was Crafton, Skinner and Braun. A final caution flew on Lap 129 when Ryan Sieg hit the backstretch wall, with an assist from James Buescher.
Peters stayed out, but Harvick came in and took four tires, as did Hornaday. Peters took the lead, but Harvick lined up second behind him, albeit on four fresh tires.
The order for the green-white-checkered finish was
Peters, Harvick, Bodine, T.J. Bell and Skinner.
The green waved on Lap 134, Harvick taking the lead into Turn 1 to seal the victory.
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