NASCAR
After Major Penalty, Harvick Feels a Sense of Relief Heading into Phoenix
Even with NASCAR giving Kevin Harvick a major penalty after his Texas win, he is feeling a sense of relief for Sunday. That is because the elimination race for the Round of 8 is at Phoenix’s ISM Raceway, Harvick’s strongest track. Although the 4 team has a debilitating sanction, expect Harvick to still be the favorite for the win.
Harvick’s Herculean Phoenix Stats
In 31 starts at ISM Raceway, Kevin Harvick has a record 9 wins. He also has the track record in laps led, and is tied for most top 5s and top 10s at Phoenix. However, this track was repaved and reconfigured in 2011. Since then, Kevin has won 7 of the 14 events on the desert mile. This success came with 2 different teams, Richard Childress Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. Also since the repave, Harvick has only finished outside of the top 6 twice at ISM.
Harvick won the race at Phoenix earlier this season, also in the week following a penalty. So far this weekend, the L1 Penalty and loss of crew members has yet to phase Harvick’s determination or performance. Harvick has been on top of the speed charts in 2 of the 3 practice sessions. The 4 Busch Lite Ford also won the pole in qualifying on Friday. To put it simply, the scrutiny his team has been put under may only make Harvick an even stronger driver.
While Harvick is not in a must-win scenario, expect him to run very well at ISM Raceway. If there is any track where Harvick needs to have a statement race, it would benefit him most to be at Phoenix. All weekend long, he has had a sense of relief, downplaying the severity of the penalty. Harvick is dangerous when his only focus is the task at hand, so watch out for the 4.
The only other time Harvick won a Phoenix pole, it turned into a dominating win in 2015. A win this weekend at Phoenix would be Harvick’s 10th desert win, only adding to his status as the Cactus King.
