Harvick: Social media, enforcement don’t mix
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Harvick got right to the point when a NASCAR media official tried to open a news conference with a comment about his record success at ISM Raceway.
“Nobody wants to talk about that,” Harvick said.
What everyone wanted to talk about Friday were penalties handed down against Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team for violations discovered after his victory last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The controversy was fueled by photos of his buckled rear windshield on social media.
“You look at golf and the fan officiating and the chaos that it caused,” Harvick said. “That didn’t work in golf. It won’t work here.”
NASCAR said inspectors at its research and development center in North Carolina found the Ford violated a rule requiring rear window support braces holding the glass rigid and another requiring the right rocker panel extension to be aluminum.
“The roof caved in, pulled the back and top of the window down, and that is really the root of the social media outrage that came after the race,” Harvick said. “The car passed all the optical scanning station inspections and everything after the race. The car was built to tolerance. The scary part for me is the fact that we went far enough to find something on the car at the NASCAR R&D center. They could find something wrong with every car if they took it apart for a whole day at the R&D center.”
Harvick was penalized the seven playoff points he earned for winning the race and the first two stages. He was docked 20 regular points, and the team lost 20 owners’ points. Crew chief Rodney Childers was fined $50,000, and car chief Robert Smith suspended two races. SHR has until Monday to appeal the penalties.
“If it is such a big deal, why is my crew chief still here?” Harvick said. “I don’t understand that.”
Also the winner two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he’s trying to become the first Cup Series driver to win three straight since Joey Logano in 2015. Harvick, a 42-year-old Californian, has a record eight victories at ISM Raceway, formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway.
“I can’t wait to win another race and jump up and down in victory lane on the back of my car,” Harvick said.
The car Harvick drove in Vegas had a steel panel extension instead of an aluminum one.
“The side skirt material is on us,” Harvick said. “That rule was put into place Feb. 18, and it should have been aluminum. That is really kind of the meat of what gave them the ability to actually get the fine to where it was meaningful enough to appease everyone on social media.”
Logano was asked if he believed NASCAR was influenced by social media.
“I would think NASCAR is bigger than that,” Logano said. “I think it just makes the story bigger when you see it all over social media.”
In qualifying Friday, 2017 season champion Martin Truex Jr. won the pole position for Sunday’s race. He turned a lap at 136.945 mph in the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota in the last of three rounds of qualifying on the mile oval. He edged Kyle Larson in 84-degree afternoon heat for his 16th career pole and second at ISM.
“We’ve qualified well here in the past, but we’ve been kind of been searching for those last couple spots,” Truex said. “We were fifth here in the fall, and that was about all we can do. Just a good game plan and good execution by everybody. Definitely a fun day.”
Larson was the fastest in practice and topped the second round for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We’ve been fast here the last few years, so it would be nice to close out the weekend with a win,” Larson said
Chase Elliott was third, followed by Alex Bowman, Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Erik Jones and Harvick.
“I look at making the final round as an accomplishment for me,” Harvick said. “My cars are always faster than the driver when we come to Phoenix qualifying sessions. Today was another Phoenix qualifying session where I messed it up. I got through (the first two turns), where I had been struggling, good and just got off the brake too soon and got it up the racetrack.”
Jimmie Johnson ended up 17th after topping the first round. The seven-time season champion is winless in 26 races, the longest drought of his career.
“I’m very optimistic with the speed in the car in that first round,” the four-time ISM winner said.