“Still Worried About Daytona” – Kevin Harvick Admits Skepticism Around NASCAR’s Plans

Despite not winning a race so far this season, veteran racer Kevin Harvick has made it through to the playoffs of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. The veteran racer, who is set to retire after the end of the season, will be looking to end his Cup Series career on a high. However, the Stewart-Haas Racing car this season has not lived up to the 47-year-old’s expectations as he made evident at the end of the race at Watkins Glen.

With just one race left in the regular season, Harvick was asked about the first three races in the playoffs and the veteran’s answer gave the impression that he was skeptical about the grouping.

NASCAR Veteran “Not Sure” About First Playoffs Round

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will see 16 drivers competing for the championship across 10 races. The first three races will be part of the round of 16, at the end of which four drivers will be eliminated. Race winners and the other highest playoff points scorers will make it into the next round. The round of 16 has been scheduled to race in Darlington, Kansas, and Bristol.

In the pre-race press conference at Daytona, Harvick was asked if he liked the grouping of the first three races in the playoffs. While the veteran believes that things should be fine, he is more worried about how he and his crew will perform at Daytona.

“I’m still worried about Daytona, so I haven’t gotten to the group of three yet. You got me to go to Darlington. Kansas and Bristol. It should be fine, but I’m not sure,” he said, laughing.

It is no secret that Kevin Harvick is not very pleased with how his final season in the Cup Series is going. The 47-year-old was pretty dejected at the end of the race at Watkins as he believed that he should have won at least one race by then.

“I wish we could’ve won a race before now but we got our opportunities to win a few. You know, we’ve struggled on road courses but, other than that, it’s been okay,” the veteran NASCAR racer had said.

It’s no surprise that Harvick is worried about Daytona even though he has already qualified for the playoffs. The SHR man does not have a lot of faith in his car for the rest of the season was made evident by him after the race at the Glen.

“I don’t know. We just gotta get our cars running better to really do anything,” he had said when asked about his playoff chances.

The veteran is not amiss. Stewart-Haas Racing has not been nearly as consistent as Kevin Harvick would have wanted them to be this season. Although he has qualified for the playoffs, there is very little chance that he will make it past the first round.

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Analyzing Kevin Harvick’s Chances in the Playoffs

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To understand how much of a chance Harvick has in the playoffs, we have to look at his performances in the regular season so far this year.

The veteran NASCAR racer has taken part in 25 races so far this season, out of which he has not won even one. He has only finished in the top five, six times and in the top 10, 11 times. These stats might not seem too bad to a layman’s eyes, but for someone with as much skill and experience as Harvick, it just isn’t good enough.

Moreover, with the caliber of racers on the grid the NASCAR Cup Series has this year, these stats are nowhere near enough to convince that Harvick can even edge out a shock championship run that goes deep into the playoffs.

His playoff points situation is dire as well. Harvick has only one playoff point for just a single-stage win this season. Playoff points are extremely crucial and history has proven that a small number of them hardly ever help any driver out.

While he will be remembered as one of the greatest drivers of our generation, Kevin Harvick’s final season does not seem like one that he or his fans will remember. Still, in a sport as unpredictable as NASCAR, it would be unwise to write someone like him off even before the playoffs begin.

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