Playoff race breaks late for Harvick

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Another race, another win for Kevin Harvick. Again at Darlington Raceway and this time to open the playoffs and his march toward the NASCAR championship.

Only difference? Harvick didn’t dominate the Southern 500 in his series-best eighth victory of the season. The regular-season champion and top seed in the playoffs inherited the lead Sunday night when Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott bumped then brushed the wall as they raced for the victory.

Elliott dropped off the pace and Harvick passed him for second. Truex — who led a race-high 196 laps — had to pit for repairs on his damaged car, and Harvick was suddenly out front.

“The leaders got tangled up there and the next thing you know we were racing for the win,” Harvick said. “This is one of the most prestigious races in our sport and obviously everybody in our sport knows the history that Darlington has for our sport, so anytime you can win here is pretty special.”

Harvick has won twice this season at Darlington, including the May 17 return to competition for NASCAR after a 10-week pause at the start of the pandemic. When he won that race — held without spectators — he pointed into the TV camera and told the fans how much they were missed.

South Carolina allowed Darlington to admit up to 8,000 for this race — the third Cup race this season for the track — and Harvick immediately noted their presence.

“The first thing I want to say is ‘Welcome back fans! This is a hell of a lot more fun with you guys up there,’ ” he told the crowd. He also gave the checkered flag to a young fan wearing one of his shirts.

The victory fell into Harvick’s lap with 14 laps remaining when Truex attempted to pass Elliott. As Truex went to complete the move, he clipped Elliott’s front side and both touched the wall.