2011 Kevin Harvick #29 Budweiser Martinsville Raced Win Version 1:24 NASCAR Diecast

It was supposed to be a showdown between Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, who had combined to win the last nine races at Martinsville. Instead, the end of Sunday's race became a battle among the unexpected. First it was Kyle Busch, a master at seemingly every short track except this one, in the lead. Then, with a bump to get to the front came Dale Earnhardt Jr., loser of 99 consecutive races. But closing quickly was Kevin Harvick, driving for a Richard Childress Racing team that hadn't won at Martinsville since 1995.

The race went to Harvick for the second consecutive week in another come-from-nowhere victory. Driving his No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, Harvick passed Earnhardt with four laps remaining, and knew denying NASCAR's most popular driver the win might not have been, well, popular. I hate to be the bad guy here, but winning's winning," Harvick said in Victory Lane of denying NASCAR's most popular driver the win. "And I'm not going to back down."

Last year's third-place finisher in the final Sprint Cup standings already has two wins and is in spectacular shape for a berth in the Chase for the championship. His two victories could be enough to ensure him at minimum a wild-card in the new Chase qualifying rules, and could give his RCR team the luxury of racing aggressive the next few months.

And to think, early in Sunday's race, Harvick didn't believe he had a chance. His Chevrolet struggled mightily early, and he was a race-low 27th on lap 234 of the 500-lap race. But a 25-minute red flag to fix a wall damaged by a violent hit by Martin Truex Jr. gave the No. 29 crew a chance to regroup, and Harvick steadily climbed through the field. "We were terrible, no other way to put it," said crew chief Gil Martin. "The red flag was actually a good thing for us because our team was able to almost be at halftime, and we went to the bottom of the pit box, six or seven of us together, and we thought about what we could do." They got Harvick up near the front as the action intensified following a restart with 29 laps left in the race.

Busch was leading when Earnhardt pulled ahead with 20 laps to go with a bump and run pass that brought everyone in the grandstands to their feet. Harvick closed quickly, then pulled onto Earnhardt's bumper with four laps to go, and made his pass in the second turn. Earnhardt tried to get the lead back, but conceded as they rounded the fourth turn. Harvick then sailed away for his second consecutive victory.

Note: This Lionel NASCAR Collectables / Action Racing Collectables Raced Win Version 1:24 NASCAR diecast collectible car captures the look of Kevin Harvick’s winning race car as it rolled into the winner's circle, complete with all the post-race wear and tear and includes a clear acrylic case for eye-catching display which features the track logo and finish line detail and an exclusive limited edition collectors card featuring a photo of the driver holding his winning diecast in Victory Lane, along with statistics and information on the back.