Kevin Harvick Left Disappointed With NASCAR’s Decline in Authority Over the Years

Are NASCAR authorities losing their grip over the sport? Kyle Larson‘s waiver dilemma may have concluded last night, but the organization is not off the hook yet, it seems. The ripple effects of NASCAR’s nine-day long silence over Hendrick Motorsports‘ appeal has seemingly revealed a weakening position within the management, according to Kevin Harvick.

With drivers and fans alike pointing out the ‘gray area’ created by the #5’s situation, he believes NASCAR and the France family do not have the same commanding presence they once did.

Kevin Harvick believes the sport needs to return to ‘when NASCAR ruled with an iron fist’

Whilst Kyle Larson finally got the benefit of the doubt, many believe the decision to grant him a waiver sets an uncertain precedent for future cases. Hence, Kevin Harvick believes the sport should be done away with waivers altogether. Though he openly supported Larson’s case, he said on Harvick’s Happy Hour, “So I think it’s just gotta be more clear. Do we need it (the waiver)? I don’t like it at all. I don’t like it for injuries. I don’t like it for childbirth. I don’t like it for anything.”

Earlier in the conversation, the former racer had also talked about the need for a stronger leadership to tackle such situations. “There’s gotta be some guidelines. It can’t just be everything and it can’t be just at the decision of a couple of people. I guess it can be, but I like strong leadership. I liked the days when NASCAR ruled with an iron fist. I love those days.”

According to Harvick, NASCAR’s current leadership falls under questioning way too frequently to be effective. Instead, the veteran mentioned a former president who held the sport together, namely Mike Helton, who led the organization from 2000 to 2015. “There’s nobody I respect as much as I do Mike Helton..he led this thing with an iron fist. It’s become not the same as far as that goes, being able to lead as hard as Mike did, but we respected him and he had a lot of authority on what he was doing,” the former SHR driver said.

Indeed, Helton was a man who everyone, including the most foul-mouthed drivers, respected. In 2008, just after the conclusion of the Atlanta race, Tony Stewart decided to come down heavily on NASCAR’s official tire partner, Goodyear, after his second-place finish behind Kyle Busch. “That’s the most pathetic tire I’ve ever been on in my professional racing career. … If they can’t do any better than that, they oughta just pull out of this sport and save us all a bunch of headaches,” the then 37-year-old had said. However, the racer was soon summoned by Helton and given a lesson he has yet to forget.

“You’re screwing this up. What if I get a call from the CEO of Goodyear and, because of your comments, he tells me they’re pulling out of the sport?…So if Goodyear leaves, it could be your comments that single-handedly shut down the whole sport,” Helton had warned.

“Honestly, that conversation changed my life forever. I still fight for what I believe in, but I’m more selective about whether it’s really worth it. It’s changed how I pick my battles,” Tony Stewart had admitted later on. Among numerous other instances of Helton’s resolute approach, he’s especially known as the man who collectively broke America’s heart by announcing Dale Earnhardt’s death, back in 2001. He was also responsible for putting the spotlight on drivers’ safety after The Intimidator’s untimely passing, and helped introduce head-and-neck restraint systems, SAFER barriers and better designed and constructed race cars. So, it’s understandable why Harvick would go on record to include the former president’s name as one of the game changers.

Having said that, the former RCR and SHR didn’t just point out the problems, but rather also talked about a slight change in the playoff eligibility criteria that could help.

‘The win is the waiver‘ – Harvick’s solution lies in simplicity

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Putting aside the possibility of NASCAR’s fading authority, the veteran believes there is an easy way to ensure fans and drivers have no reason to criticize the playoff format. Instead of having 100% race attendance as a mandatory criterion, Harvick believes the focus should be more on the race results themselves. If a driver like Kyle Larson can hold onto his playoff spot in the points standings despite missing a race, why is a waiver necessary?

Harvick stated, “You’ve been given a way to get into the playoffs by winning, and if you can’t win, you don’t deserve to be there. Right? That’s the thing that makes Kyle Busch’s 2015 Championship, at least you can stomach it because of the fact that he won. He put himself in victory lane, he met the criteria for that particular year…If you can win, then you deserve to be in it, and if you can’t score enough points without a win, you don’t deserve to be in it.”

Well, 2015 was a year to remember for Kyle Busch. Despite missing the first 11 races of the season after a horrific crash at a Xfinity race in Daytona, that left him with a fractured left foot and right leg, the then Joe Gibbs Racing driver beat Kevin Harvick to clinch the championship trophy. Even on that occasion, NASCAR had granted him a waiver.

Similarly, the veteran also brought up NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott‘s example. He was also granted a waiver last year after a snowboarding accident forced him to miss six races. However, despite the fan’s wishes to see Elliott in the playoffs, his performance on track didn’t suffice. Naturally, Harvick believed this was sufficient to keep those who couldn’t make it on merit out of contention.

He concluded, “Chase Elliott didn’t win last year and he missed the playoffs. If we didn’t have the waiver, it would have never even been talked about. All he had to do was win. But instead, it got close enough to where we’re talking about Chase Elliott being able to get into the playoffs on points. Just leave the win. The win is the waiver. That’s it.”

Well, Kevin Harvick does make a good point, but do you agree with him? Let us know what’s your take on the waiver drama and NASCAR’s seemingly dwindling authority!