Busch, Harvick set to start on opposite ends
CONCORD, N.C. – One thousand, two hundred and sixty-one miles of worldclass auto racing are scheduled Sunday, and NASCAR superstar Kevin Harvick will start in the last row of the last race of a long day.
Harvick will be in search of his third straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory – and sixth overall – in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 600 (6 p.m. ET, Fox), NASCAR’s longest race, will follow the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500 on motorsports’ biggest and longest day.
Harvick has been NASCAR’s dominant driver this season. With only onethird of the schedule gone, he has five wins and has stamped his team as the one to beat over the remaining races in the regular season and in the 10-race playoff.
That he will start on the final row in Sunday’s race is somewhat of an embarrassment but not a significant deterrent to the possibility of him adding another win.
Harvick’s Ford failed pre-qualifying inspection three times Thursday because the right rear of his car did not meet specifications. He was not allowed to make a qualifying lap. Harvick was banished to the rear of the starting grid, and car chief Robert Smith was barred from working with the team the rest of the weekend. The penalty also included a 30minute practice hold.
Despite the issues, Harvick is considered a favorite Sunday. Starting-grid positions typically don’t mean a lot in the big picture, particularly in a marathon race that probably will last more than four hours.
Starting on the opposite end of the grid – in first – will be Kyle Busch, Harvick’s challenger for Top Dog spot so far this year and winner of the pole Thursday night. CMS is the only track on the current Cup schedule where Busch is winless.
“I would love to get that knocked out of the way and to be finished with it until another new track comes up on the circuit,” Busch said. He hasn’t been frustrated entirely at CMS; he won last year’s AllStar Race at the 1.5-mile track.
Starting behind Busch in the top five will be Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Brad Keselowski.