CONCORD, N.C. – Both Austin Dillon’s bid to repeat and Kevin Harvick’s bid to win from the back came undone prior to the end of the first stage in Sunday night’s 59th running of the Coca-Cola 600.
Ironically enough, both drivers suffered tire issues that took them out of contention for the victory.
Dillon was the first casualty of the night, shredding a right-rear tire on lap 37 to bring out the first yellow flag of the night and dropping a lap down to the leaders as a result. Dillon later went to the garage for repairs, but returned to the track prior to the end of the first stage, albeit 52 laps in arrears.
Harvick, on the other hand, suffered terminal issues after a left-front tire went down on his No. 4 Mobil 1/Busch Beer Ford. He pancaked the outside wall in turn three and brought out the caution on lap 84, going immediately to the garage.
After winning five of the first 12 races of the season, Harvick’s night ended in a mangled heap. He told the media after climbing from his car that he had no warning before the tire let go.
“We stood in the garage and looked at it and I can’t tell if we ran something over,” said Harvick, who was bidding to win three consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race for the second time in 2018. “There’s enough things that could have happened right there, but I’m just really proud of everybody on our Mobil 1/Busch Ford. The car was really, really fast. We came all the way through the pack and made it up into the top three there and sometimes those things just happen.”
Sunday marked the first time in Harvick’s 18 Coca-Cola 600 appearances that he has failed to finish. He previously won the race in 2011, making a last-corner pass when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel.
Despite his early exit, Harvick remained optimistic about his team’s chances to continue running strong as the summer stretch of the schedule looms out the windshield.
“I can’t complain about anything that’s happened this year. We have to take the good with the bad,” said Harvick. “The guys did a great job in basically guessing at where the car needed to be today with all the penalties, no practice and starting in the back. To come out and have the fastest car again … it was quite an honor to drive and they’re doing a great job. It was just bad luck that got us tonight.”
Harvick’s retirement left him 40th in the rundown, the first car out on Sunday night.
Meanwhile, Kyle Busch won the opening stage from the pole. Busch is seeking his first points-paying win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
