With a mere ten events remaining in Kevin Harvick‘s illustrious career before he gracefully transitions to the hallowed realm of TV broadcast, where he is poised to serve as a sagacious analyst for Fox, a sense of profound appreciation naturally envelops him for each precious opportunity to grace the asphalt of the 2023 Cup Series. While perched precariously at the 15th position, just one position above Bubba Wallace, Harvick has adeptly secured his berth in the playoffs. However, the laurels of victory in the regular season continue to elude him.

It is this very narrative that reverberates with undeniable resonance within the corridors of the racing world, striking even the formidable Denny Hamlin of JGR. With audacious prognostications echoing through the airwaves of his Action Detrimental podcast, Hamlin has candidly pronounced Kevin Harvick the slowest contender, probably notwithstanding his qualification for the ensuing playoff stages.

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Denny Hamlin, renowned for his outspoken nature, has consistently sparked discourse with his pronouncements. On his podcast, while conversing with co-host Jared Allen about the audacious playoff predictions of three drivers, Hamlin ventured into the realm of Kevin Harvick’s narrative.

Amidst expounding upon the rationale behind his belief in Harvick’s potential to secure a berth in the coveted final four, Hamlin alluded to the guiding hand of Rodney Childers in sculpting the performance of Harvick’s vehicle, noting “they don’t go out easy.” As he marveled at Harvick’s accumulation of four stage points, Hamlin juxtaposed a counterpoint, contending that a possible hindrance to Harvick’s ascent to the top four could be traced to the comparative tardiness of his car this season. As per the assessment of Denny Hamlin, the protracted struggles of the team throughout the year could plausibly underpin the subdued pace of the #4 car driven by Harvick.

“If they made the final four, what a freaking accomplishment! I mean, that team (Tony Stewart‘s team) has been driving for has been struggling milderly, all year long.”

He appended, “Just that they don’t have speed. They have shown glimpses of speed over the last few weeks or so, but man! You can’t continue to just outperform all your other teammates that much. That just means there’s not enough room for error in speed in your car. So I think that they execute better than anyone in the series, but if he doesn’t make it, it is because this is the slowest 4 car since they have been together.“

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While Hamlin’s conjecture might hold merit, Kevin Harvick doubtlessly aspires to etch this final season indelibly. Notably, he seems to be approaching his last playoff effort with excitement; the details of such an analysis may easily be secondary to his overriding emotion.

Kevin Harvick is happy about his final playoff run

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In 2001, when Harvick made his Cup Series debut with Richard Childress Racing in place of the late Dale Earnhardt, he was a young driver with a little edge. Harvick won in Atlanta just three weeks after Earnhardt’s untimely death.

However, things have changed dramatically lately. His ninth-place Daytona result, despite leading until the penultimate lap, is indicative of the disadvantages of both himself and his car. But on Thursday, before the playoffs begin, he simply expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the playoffs in his final season.

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Harvick said, “I’m in heaven. And I think that’s what’s great about being where I’m at. I think that having those relationships with a lot of the other drivers and having the respect of your competitors in the garage is something that is hard to come by.”

Harvick would most certainly have anticipated a different season as he planned his final move through NASCAR last fall. He and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas team have been winless for the complete regular season of 2023. Nonetheless, that’s not to say Harvick won’t try to stir things up again before he’s done. Even Denny Hamlin seemed optimistic about Kevin Harvick, saying of him, “They are a Ford team; they’ll just find a way.”