Kevin Harvick has delivered a grim forecast for NASCAR drivers on the brink of playoff elimination before the Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will trim the playoff field from 12 to eight, setting the stage for the South Point 400.
With their last chance looming, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Chase Briscoe are under pressure to break into the round of eight. On his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick shared his take on the drivers below the cut line and their prospects for a pivotal Sunday to salvage their season.
“The hardest part about those, the gaps 13 points and I think the hardest part for Joey Logano looking just on the other side of the fence is it’s Chase Elliott and Tyler Reddick,” he observed. “Typically in the past, those two guys are going to be pretty good at the road courses, obviously Reddick has done well, Chase has been consistent, Joey has done a good job, Suárez has done a good job, Austin Cindric. They all had their moments at road courses.
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“But that whole group, everybody up there is just going to be decent at what they do. It’s going to take somebody making a mistake or somebody completely missing the setup.”
Harvick also expressed skepticism about the chances of those below the cut line advancing to the next round, despite predicting strong performances from Reddick and Elliott, who have both shone on road courses before, reports the Express US. Nonetheless, he cast doubt on Reddick’s current form amidst the turmoil at 23XI Racing.
He continued: “I think since all of the controversy, Reddick’s been not as explosive as he was before all the controversy with the charters and the lawsuit. He’s been quiet. Chase Elliot has been consistent. We expect those two to run well here, we expect them to be good at the road course.
Kevin Harvick put Tyler Reddick’s form under the microscope (
(Image: Getty))
“So you look much further than that, 25 points to (Ryan) Blaney is going to be tough. I think that’s going to have to be a catastrophic failure in some way shape or form from Blaney early in the race – he and Alex Bowman. I think you’re Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott, I think it most likely ends the way that is sits right here,” Harvick concluded.
Meanwhile, at the top of the standings, Harvick added that leader William Byron and second place Christopher Bell don’t require huge races given the position they have already got themselves in. . Harvick then took the time to laud Bell, whose season has gone under the radar so far.
“This guy gets skipped over all the time in the things that we talk about,” Harvick said. “Here we are, he’s (plus) 57, he’s going to go to the next round. But you look back at that wreck last week, did you see him get spit out of the middle of that wreck? He was the only car that came out of the pile of cars straight. …Bell has been good there.”
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