via Getty
DAYTONA, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light #BUSCHRACETEAM Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, fields questions from the media during Daytona 500 Media Day on February 16, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light #BUSCHRACETEAM Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, fields questions from the media during Daytona 500 Media Day on February 16, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Kevin Harvick is at an all-time season high as he takes his second win in a row at Richmond Raceway. Seeing this, FOX wonder whether he could take the Cup Series Championship, with his improving performance as the playoffs come closer.
However, NASCAR fans don’t buy the narrative.
USA Today via Reuters
Jul 3, 2022; Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) before the start of the KWIK TRIP 250 at Road America. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
After Harvick‘s Richmond win, FOX: NASCAR tweeted out asking the fans whether he has a chance at taking the 2022 title. However, the fans were not thrilled by the speculation and took shots at FOX.
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Nobody knows the answer to that. It only takes one bad race to get fucked in the playoffs
— Crawl (@ItsColdinheree) August 14, 2022
can we stop with this whole “driver has a couple of good weeks mid-season = driver is the championship favourite” narrative
— Patrick🇮🇪 (@poggerspatrick) August 14, 2022
False. I still think it's Larson, Chase, or Ross.
— Joshua Loomis (@guitartrains9) August 14, 2022
False. Him putting a couple races together doesn’t erase the first 20 races of the year. He’s still in a playoff point deficit in the later rounds and isn’t great at Martinsville
— KLG NobleWarrior88#MediaKitsPartner (@NGaming88) August 14, 2022
And when answering add if a Harvick fan. I am not and I don't think he will win the championship. Just two races doesn't make a season. But not even sure who I think is the front runner.
— Katherine Schipp (@KathSchipp) August 15, 2022
It's interesting that a driver can go on a hot streak, win a couple races, get called the "favorite" for the championship, and then we repeat with the next guy. Seems to be the pattern all season.
That being said, I wouldn't complain if he wins it this year.
— Trent Morrison (@LesPaulMan14) August 14, 2022
How can he when Chase is gonna win it!!!! 💙💛
— Deb Denny (@debdennyCE9fan) August 14, 2022
Guy wins 2 races, and say he wins the championship 🤦♀️
— Marybeth Senlick (@MSenlick) August 14, 2022
Although the 2014 Sprint Cup Series Champion is displaying some stellar performance in the #4 car, it surely is too soon to declare a winner. Moreover, the season concludes in November, so we have a lot of time still.
We don’t know who will continue to perform at their highest level as the cars get eliminated. Especially in the ambiguity introduced with the next-gen cars. And Kevin Harvick has felt the effects of it too.
Kevin Harvick Opens Up About The Challenges Of Racing This Season
The biggest questions surrounding the Next-Gen cars in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season have been around the short track. Everyone has waited to see the aerodynamic-focused Cup cars perform on a shorter track where there is little scope for draft. Fortunately, the cars have provided for some interesting racing.
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But, Harvick didn’t know what to expect from the performance and the 2022 season.
He said, “It’s all totally different. I think after the Roval test last year, I knew not to have any expectations for this year. We were either going to be on the front side of this thing or we were going to be behind. There wasn’t going to really be any middle road.”
“We found out we were behind and had to start really going to work, and I think as you look at this particular car, everything about it is different.”
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Finally, the important part is that Stewart Haas Racing picked up the pace as the regular season ended. But, what do you think, did the Next-Gen car perform better on the short track? Let us know in the comments.
