Dodging crashes and cleverly navigating through cautions, Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick managed to take the coveted checkered flag. But not without the others putting up a great fight, though.
Being the last race on the current running surface at Daytona, the Coke Zero 400 started with Harvick in front, a position which he didn't hold for long. In all, the Saturday race set another record with 18 leaders and 47 lead changes.
But that was only the beginning. The second part of the race grew in intensity thanks to the six multi-car crashes which pretty much cleaned the field. The biggest of these crashes, which occurred with 12 laps to go and halted the race for 20 minutes, engulfed 20 cars, including reigning champion Jimmie Johnson.
Somehow, Harvick managed to dodge them all, a "survival" which led to a bitter fight to the finish against Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The RCR driver held them all off, crossing the finish line in first place.
“It was every man for himself at that point,'' Harvick was quoted as saying by The Miami Herald. “You know the guys behind you are going to push you as hard as they can, so if I slow down to let him in or something like that, it's just going to give the other line some momentum. (Saturday night) we were in the right line on the bottom. And it wound up working out.”
Harvick was followed in the top five by Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton. The Daytona win, Harvick's second of the season and the 13th of his career, makes the RCR driver series points leader.
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