BRISTOL, Tenn. – The sight of Kevin Harvick in victory lane after a NASCAR Cup Series race has become commonplace this season. The sound of fans cheering for him in celebration has been anything but, and it’s clearly something he has missed.
Feeding off one of the largest crowds at a sporting event during the coronavirus pandemic, Harvick zipped into the second round of the playoffs in pursuit of a championship that is clearly his to lose.
The 44-year-old Stewart-Haas Racing driver held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch over the final 40 laps Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway for his career-best and Cup Series-leading ninth victory of the season. He did it in front of a sold-out crowd of 30,000 spectators, the most Bristol was allowed to admit and the largest NASCAR crowd since March.
“I hadn’t been to too many races where I’ve been that jacked up getting in the race car,” said Harvick, who is looking to add a second Cup Series championship to his 2014 title. “The fans were so enthusiastic tonight, and I don’t know if we’ve just been away from them for that long, but you could feel the enthusiasm in the stadium tonight.
“As I was getting in the car, I was just wound up and just really, really ready to race.”