INDIANAPOLIS—Suddenly the ace qualifier at Stewart-Haas Racing this year, Kevin Harvick dominated Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series time trials at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the pole for Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 in track-record speed.
Fastest in all three rounds of knockout qualifying, Harvick earned his fourth Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his second at the Brickyard and the 10th of his career.
Harvick established his credentials early in the first 25-minute session, covering the 2.5-mile distance in 47.647 seconds (188.889 mph), shattering the previous record speed of 187.531 mph set by Ryan Newman last year.
The record speed of his first lap surprised the driver of the No. 4 SHR Chevrolet.
“After the first lap, I was probably more nervous than I have been in a while for qualifying,” Harvick said. “I wasn’t really expecting to have the car run that fast. From there they are all looking at you, ‘All right, if you screw this up, it’s on you, buddy.’”
In the second round, Harvick remained the only driver to top 188 mph, posting a lap at 188.281 mph to pace the 10-minute session. No other driver could reach even 187 mph in Round 2.
In the final five-minute round, Harvick ran 188.470 mph to win the pole convincingly over Jeff Gordon, who will share the front row after a lap at 187.770 mph. Brad Keselowski (186.893 mph) qualified third, followed by 2013 Brickyard winner Ryan Newman (186.765 mph) and Brian Vickers (186.455 mph).
The last time Harvick won the pole at Indy, in 2003, he won the race, and he acknowledged the advantages of starting up front.
“You can overcome a lot of things with your track position here,” Harvick said. “To have the first pit stall, to have clean air to start the race—usually your problems will be a lot less than they are in traffic when you’re out front. Hopefully, we can put together a whole day.
Nor is the history of the Brickyard lost on Harvick.
“There’s Daytona, and then there’s nothing quite like this place that we come to,” he said. “It’s a unique race track with a lot of things that have to come together, a lot of history, and I’m excited to be here.”
Keselowski certainly took notice of Harvick’s lap times and gave them their due.
“It’s always scary when Kevin’s fast in qualifying,” Keselowski said.
Notes: Aric Almirola hit the outside wall during the first round and went to a backup car. Accordingly, he will start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field. … Juan Pablo Montoya qualified eighth in Team Penske’s third entry, the No. 12 Ford. … Brett Moffit, David Stremme and Matt Crafton failed to make the 43-car field.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Crown Royal Presents, the John Wayne Walding 400 at The Brickyard
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Speedway, Indiana
Saturday, July 26, 2014
1. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 188.470 mph.
2. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 187.770 mph.
3. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 186.893 mph.
4. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 186.765 mph.
5. (55) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 186.455 mph.
6. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 186.193 mph.
7. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 185.943 mph.
8. (12) Juan Pablo Montoya, Ford, 185.924 mph.
9. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 185.828 mph.
10. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 185.705 mph.
11. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 185.468 mph.
12. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 184.991 mph.
13. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 185.468 mph.
14. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 185.391 mph.
15. (42) Kyle Larson #, Chevrolet, 185.254 mph.
16. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 185.128 mph.
17. (3) Austin Dillon #, Chevrolet, 185.048 mph.
18. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 184.991 mph.
19. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 184.900 mph.
20. (21) Trevor Bayne(i), Ford, 184.869 mph.
21. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 184.740 mph.
22. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 184.426 mph.
23. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 183.887 mph.
24. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 183.610 mph.
25. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 184.449 mph.
26. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 183.726 mph.
27. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 183.692 mph.
28. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 183.565 mph.
29. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 183.539 mph.
30. (98) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, 182.867 mph.
31. (51) Justin Allgaier #, Chevrolet, 182.656 mph.
32. (83) Ryan Truex #, Toyota, 182.574 mph.
33. (7) Michael Annett #, Chevrolet, 182.245 mph.
34. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 182.072 mph.
35. (23) Alex Bowman #, Toyota, 181.866 mph.
36. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 181.815 mph.
37. (40) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, Owner Points
38. (34) David Ragan, Ford, Owner Points
39. (26) Cole Whitt #, Toyota, Owner Points
40. (32) Travis Kvapil, Ford, Owner Points
41. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, Owner Points
42. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Owner Points
43. (37) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, Past Champion
3 drivers failed to qualify.
44. (66) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 181.335 mph.
45. (33) David Stremme, Chevrolet, 179.548 mph.
46. (29) Matt Crafton(i), Toyota, 178.070 mph.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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