A win in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 would give Kevin Harvick a 2018 sweep of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Kansas Speedway.
One of Harvick’s seven victories so far this season came during the Mother’s Day weekend visit to the 1.5-mile track. It took a late race restart on which Harvick lined up sixth and a bold move for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver to pick up the victory. It was the latest chapter of Kansas success for Harvick’s No. 4 team.
Since it was created in 2014, the team has compiled a series-best two wins, six top-five finishes, seven top-10s, an average finish of 5.2, three Busch Pole Awards, and it ranks second with 454 laps led in nine starts at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval.
Kansas is a tricky intermediate track and one Harvick says is a challenge.
“It’s definitely a little bit different just for the fact the (corner) entries are a little different than at most places,” Harvick explained. “Turns three and four remind me of turns three and four at Chicagoland Speedway, but there’s a lot more grip and fresher asphalt than what Chicagoland has nowadays. It’s a very high-speed racetrack. You run the middle to the bottom of the racetrack. But I’m sure, as time goes on, that the groove will move back up.
“But, for right now, it’s very fast and very sensitive to your line and, with all the speed and how tricky the entrance is into turn one, you can miss your line easily. So, you have to be very specific about where you put your car and pay attention to what you’re doing.”
Sunday’s race is the final event in round two off the Playoffs and Harvick is in very good shape to move on to the Round of 8. He needs to finish just 26th or better on Sunday to advance and has a 63-point lead over the final cut-off berth.
It’s a far cry from some previous Playoff runs for Harvick when he was forced to win in order to stay alive in the championship picture. While he is definitely shooting for an eighth series win Sunday, it’s a bit of a relief to not have to get to Victory Lane to survive. But the emotion of pulling off such a feat is one Harvick relishes.
“Clutch moments – there’s nothing like them,” Harvick said.
“It’s one thing to dominate a race all day and win – that’s great. But, making a last-lap pass, an end-of-the-race pass or winning on a day when you’re not supposed to, there is just no better feeling than getting out of the car and looking at those guys. Having the rest of the field asking how was he able to win today. Those are the types of moments I love to be a part of.
“We’ve been fortunate to experience a lot of those. That’s the adrenaline rush that comes with what we do. There is no better feeling than those particular moments.”
