KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kevin Harvick had a fast No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, but Harvick’s race ended after just 33 laps.
Following a restart for the Lap 25 competition caution, Harvick was racing behind the cars of Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace, but as the cars exited Turn 4, Chastain forced Wallace up the track and the aerodynamics from the two cars upset Harvick’s automobile which sent his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang into the outside frontstretch wall.
Harvick was able to limp his racecar back to pit road, but after inspection from crew chief Rodney Childers and the No. 4 crew, the suspension from front to rear had been damaged heavily with the impact sending him to the garage and the first car and Playoff contender out of the race.
The 2014 Cup Series champion was running fifth at the time of the crash.
“When those two cars came up in front of me I just got super tight,” explained Harvick. “When I lifted it grabbed and got loose. I just wasn’t expecting them to come up and my car getting that tight.”
For the second straight week, Harvick will suffer a DNF (did not finish).
Last weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Harvick exited the Cook Out Southern 500 after fire erupted from underneath his No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Mustang while running competitively inside the top-10.
With his second straight week of Playoff woes, Harvick will likely head to next Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway needing a win to advance to the Round of 12.
“Yeah, it is what it is,” Harvick added. “We were racing to win anyway today, so that is what we will do again next week.”
Harvick, however, is used to high-pressure situations in the Playoffs and in the past has been in a must-win situation to advance to the next round of the Playoffs and succeeded.
Harvick’s approach to the Bristol race is simple: “Go win,” he quipped.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
