Kevin Harvick Finds an Ally in Rival Joey Logano After NASCAR Put His Life in Serious Danger: “It’s Cheaper Not to Fix It”

Accepting defeat is difficult. And it gets all the more frustrating when you put in your A-game and yet some external forces conjure up stuff to go against you. Sunday’s Darlington race left NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano furious with the governing body due to their negligence. 

The Cook Out Southern NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington ended abruptly for Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick when his Ford suddenly caught fire. 

Running amongst the top 5 in the race at the time, Harvick had to quickly climb out of his car to escape the fire. According to reports, the fire started underneath the #4’s right front tire. And as Harvick continued driving, the smoke from the tire rose up and filled the cockpit.

According to Harvick, the rocker panel caught fire and he blames the ‘crappy parts’ for his car bursting into flames. In a post-race interview, Harvick explained; “Yeah, the rocker panel just caught on fire. Well, you just keep letting cars burn up, letting people crash into stuff and get hurt. Like we don’t fix anything now we just ride around out there and the car catches on fire. So, just s**tty parts.”

Furthermore, the incident pushed Harvick to the 33rd position at the end of the race. Furious about losing crucial playoff points, Harvick continued, “Well they don’t care. It’s cheaper to not fix it. Find somebody new to run the show that can run it.”

READ MORE: “Beat Up at a Bar” Drivers Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch & Kevin Harvick Call BS on NASCAR’s Safety Claim

Finishing at the 4th position in the race, Joey Logano too had his own opinions. During a conversation with the media after the race, Logano said; “I worry about it for two reasons. One, it took a lot of points away from him today and he is racing for a championship.” Talking about how all of this was out of Harvick and his team’s control, he continued, “Second thing, his car’s on fire.” Stressing how dangerous that is, he said, “Gotta fix that!” 

Kevin Harvick Vs Next Gen Cars – Not the first clash

NASCAR introduced their Next Gen cars earlier in the 2022 season. And since its introduction, the car’s safety has been a topic of concern for drivers. 

Sunday’s Darlington race is a good example of why the drivers are not that happy with the new design. But this is not the first time Kevin Harvick, along with some other drivers expressed their concerns over the Gen6 cars. The unfortunate incident at Daytona on August 28, 2022 left around a dozen cars damaged and several drivers injured.

Many drivers including Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin have raised questions about the safety of the cars on multiple occasions. Pointing out how these crash data do not take a driver’s feelings into account, Harvick said in a post-race interview, “I am telling you those 15G hits feel like 50 compared to what they have been in the old cars.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Dale Earnhardt Jr Fires a Warning to NASCAR Amidst Latest Next Gen Issues

Well, Harvick should take one up the chin and brace for the next round of playoffs.