TEXAS

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED

1. Happy Harvick

Kevin find onship his Harvick Round way into at knows Homestead. the Champi- how to With Harvick his will win compete at Texas, for the title in two weeks. Since this format was introduced six years ago, he has qualified for Homestead five times. Oh yeah, he won it all in 2014.

2. Traction reaction

Texas Speedway sprayed some traction compound in the turns, and it caused drivers fits and a few crashes. “Too many guys having trouble that are quality cars, it shows that the surface wasn’t prepped right,” veteran driver Kurt Busch said. “They don’t need to spray it that heavy.”

3. Chase slips

The first casualty of the traction compound was playoff driver Chase Elliott, who tagged the wall on Lap 9. “I made a mistake, got loose and crashed,” he said. “I really hate that it happened. Obviously, it’s not good. It’s just my mistake and there’s really no excuse for it.”

[AP/LARRY PAPKE] Kevin Harvick celebrates after winning Texas and punching his Championship Round ticket to Homestead.