Kevin Harvick wins Nationwide Bristol race in own car

Official post race interview with Kevin Harvick after the 2009 Bristol Nationwide race

Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kyle Busch had the dominate car in the fourth race in the 2009 Nationwide series season but a tire got away during his last pit stop and the penalty he received opened up the door for Kevin Harvick for his fifth victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway making him the tracks leading all time winner. More importantly to him however it was the first Nationwide Series checkered flag he had ever captured with the team he built with wife DeLana.

Kevin Harvick:
You know DeLana and I built this company from basically dirt and it kind of started as a hobby and we built the shop just kind of having fun with it to finally winning this car the cars have been really good and its been a tremendous amount of pressure I put on myself and probably more pressure than these guys want to see at the shop over the last year and a half or so but it’s been well worth the reward today and I guess it’s kind of fitting that it’s coming. What’s been on my most successful track on the Nationwide Series here at Bristol I’m just glad that it all finally came together.

At one point Kyle Bush blew by Carl Edwards easily which is why cousin Carl certainly felt a little lucky to finish as high as second place.

Carl Edwards:
He was just screaming fast on that restart. I watched him go by and I thought wow that thing looks like fun to drive. It was like wide open, straight line, never wiggled and he just got me. No excuses, he just got me.

Finishing third was the races defending winner, Clint Bowyer.

Clint Bowyer:
It was fun. I mean it’s always fun racing at Bristol. We just fought tide all day long and when you’re a little bit tight and they are beaten you to the throttle it makes for a long day but you know we need to work on our pit stops and you know we’ve got some areas we need to work on but all in all it was a solid day for us.

Subbing for the banged up Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth came home fourth with rookie of the year candidate Justin Allgaier zipping across the line fifth.

Justin Allgaier:
You know, we just had a lot of fun. This is probably the funnest race track I’ve ever been on and able to go out there and race with these guys. It was a great day for us and I’ve been trying to get their bestest rookie of the race for the last couple here now and I’ve been a couple spots short so to get that and to get the first out top five here at Bristol, it means a lot.

Kyle Busch would wind up sixth after leading 156 laps. The rest of the top 10, Steve Wallace, Scott Speed, Joey Logano and Jason Leffler. Karl Edwards leads the points but the next two drivers behind him, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are not running for the championship. Forth place Brendan Gaughan is and after four races he is already 178 points back.

The Nationwide Series will return next week at the Texas Motor Speedway. Look for the audio interview following the O'Reilly 300 April 4. To see the video race review of Bristol race, go to www.nationwide.com/series and click On Your Side Race Review.