The pressure of getting locking into NASCAR Chase has resulted in a shakeup of Kevin Harvick’s Sprint Cup team.
Harvick, in the middle of a late summer slump, will be reunited with his former crew chief, Gil Martin. Although Harvick is eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points, with three races remaining in the “regular” season, he’s been slumping this summer. Apparently Richard Childress Racing is looking for a little insurance to lock into the Chase. "We're just trying to turn things around to make sure we get in the Chase, then be competitive once we get into the Chase," Martin told FOXSports.com. "It's not a question of us knowing each other's history, we've worked together before. "This is a good team. We're just trying to get things turned around." Harvick and Martin had worked together since mid-2009 producing wins and a third place finish in the points in 2010. Last year Harvick replaced Martin with Shane Wilson just before the season ending race last year despite his four wins in 2011. Harvick finished fourth in the points only was not the contender he was in previous years. And now he has not won since Richmond a year ago Since finishing second at Dover, in June, Harvick has only one top-ten finish. And he’s just barely been finishing in the top 20 for the past three races. Last year there were some similar maneuvers by team owners, drivers and crew chiefs at this time. The reason? Most drivers will admit if they are not in the Chase then it’s almost like they’re not in the series – unless they win. This may not be the last of the crew chief shuffles in the next few weeks. Recent Articles
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