Kevin Harvick earned his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship and the MOOG Steering and Suspension brand’s 49th straight with a thrilling victory in Sunday’s season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
Harvick’s win in the MOOG-equipped No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet SS extends a Cup title string that began in 1966 with David Pearson and the No. 6 Dodge and includes many of the biggest names in professional stock car racing history. MOOG Steering and Suspension components are manufactured by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation.
The 38-year-old Harvick, who made perhaps the biggest decision of his career in moving to Stewart-Haas Racing at the beginning of the season, passed Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota Camry with seven laps remaining and held off Ryan Newman’s hard-charging No. 31 Chevrolet to win the first championship under NASCAR’s new four-round Chase format. The MOOG-equipped No. 4 car finished the year with five wins, 14 top fives and 20 top 10s.
“Kevin has been one of the most successful and popular drivers throughout his 14-year Cup racing career, so it was only a matter of time until he added his name to the list of greats who have won it all while relying on world-class MOOG parts,” said Michael Proud, director of marketing, North America, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “It was a fantastic ending to the Chase, and we’re thrilled MOOG once again came out on top.”
According to the company, MOOG Steering and Suspension is the preferred brand of professional technicians and NASCAR crew chiefs, and MOOG components are recognized as the automotive service industry’s “Problem Solver,” with innovative parts that improve on original designs by providing increased durability, enhanced performance and easier installation. The MOOG product line includes an extensive range of high-quality steering and suspension components – including ball joints, tie rod ends, control arms, idler and pitman arms, sway bar links, complete strut assemblies, hub assemblies and universal joints – covering virtually any foreign-nameplate or domestic vehicle. These parts are available through thousands of automotive service locations and parts providers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“Automotive repair professionals recognize the vital role our NASCAR program plays in the development of parts that provide superior durability and performance,” Proud said.
For more information regarding MOOG Steering and Suspension parts, visit the brand’s technician-focused www.moogproblemsolver.com website or contact your MOOG supplier. Like MOOG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moogproblemsolver.