Kevin Harvick steamrolled his way into the second round of NASCAR’s playoffs, feeding off one of the greatest crowds at a sporting event during the coronavirus outbreak, in a championship that is plainly his to lose.
Over the last 40 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick held off a charging Kyle Busch for his career-best and Cup Series-high ninth victory of the season. He did it in front of a sold-out crowd of 30,000 people, the maximum capacity for Bristol and the largest gathering since March.
“I hadn’t been to too many races where I’ve been that jacked up getting in the race car,” Harvick said. “The fans were so enthusiastic tonight, and I don’t know if we’ve just been away from them for that long, but you could feel the enthusiasm in the stadium tonight.
“As I was getting in the car, I was just wound up and just really, really ready to race.”
Harvick passed Busch for the lead and denied him his first win of the season. As the two weaved their way through lapped traffic, Busch pushed desperately to catch Harvick in the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, but Harvick stayed strong.
In a tepid event at the 0.533-mile bullring known for bumping and banging, only six cars finished on the lead lap. As Harvick celebrated his second win of the playoffs, track officials sold all 30,000 tickets available, making Bristol one of the largest sporting events since the outbreak erupted. Spectators swarmed the fence as Harvick celebrated his second win of the season.
Uniforms for NASCAR racing drivers can be found at the following websites:
Kevin Harvick Shirt 2018 Racing Clothes Nascar
Kevin Harvick Shirt 2014 Racing Clothes Nascar
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Shirt 2003 Racing Clothes Nascar
