There are still four regular season races remaining. NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on qualifying for the final playoff spot in the 2024 season. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain holds the final playoff spot, closely followed by No. 23 driver Bubba Wallace.
Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Cup Series career spans more than 800 races, including 60 race wins, including victories in all crown jewel events. Harvick is a two-time Xfinity Series champion and also won the 2018 All-Star Race. Additionally, Kevin Harvick holds the Cup Series record for wins with nine at Phoenix Raceway. With NASCAR’s return to the Brickyard 400 at IMS, there have been some changes in the Cup Series driver standings. HMS driver Kyle Larson celebrated his fourth win of 2024 and secured the top spot.
23XI driver Bubba Wallace performed well at the Indianapolis oval, winning the second stage and securing a fifth-place finish overall. Wallace is chasing the final playoff spot, seven points behind Ross Chastain, who finished in the top five last Sunday. However, despite Wallace’s convincing performance, Kevin Harvick believes RFK driver Chris Buescher could potentially snatch a playoff spot from the 23XI driver. On the “Happy Hour” podcast, Harvick said:
“I’m very concerned about Ross Chastain and the No. 1 car. I feel like they (the No. 23 XI team) are kind of steering the ship and wondering if their ship is going right. Directionally, they’re faster than No. 1 and only seven points between them and No. 16, but I still believe Chris Buescher is right. I think this is the No. 16 guy technically.” [34:05]
Harvick explained his concerns about Ross Chastain’s playoff chances. “I feel like someone’s going to win at Daytona, but the reason I’m concerned about the No. 1 car is because they haven’t been as fast as the No. 23 car and they’ve just been a little bit unlucky overall.” He added
Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing car, is 12th in the drivers’ standings. Buescher is yet to win this season despite nine top-10 and six top-five finishes. Khalibuk believes the No. 17 driver is looking to make a strong comeback after NASCAR’s two-week break and put an end to the streak.
“Overwhelmed” – Kevin Harvick criticizes Kyle Busch’s on-track incident at Indianapolis
RCR’s No. 8 driver Kyle Busch has been in the spotlight several times this season, mainly for his involvement in on-track incidents. Busch has had a disappointing season, most of which were not his fault.
As Kevin Harvick suggested, Busch has had a lot of bad luck. But the incident with Busch and Denny Hamlin on the track at IMS changed Harvick’s mind. In the same episode of the “Happy Hour” podcast, he said:
“I feel like Kyle’s pushing himself too hard. His car hasn’t been fast enough the last few weeks, but in this scenario, he passes Denny Hamlin, gets in the top five, and just overdrives the corners. “He’s been in situations that weren’t his fault, but this is 100% his fault.” [23:24]
Busch is 18th in the drivers’ standings and is experiencing the longest winless streak of his career. With four regular season races remaining, it’s unclear whether the No. 8 driver will be able to make the playoffs this season.
