Kevin Harvick defended Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon in spite of everything three have been hit with allegations of race manipulation following NASCAR’s Spherical of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.
First, the No. 23 Toyota wheelman seemingly slowed down to permit producer teammate Christopher Bell to move him on the ultimate lap, hoping to ship Bell to the Championship 4. It’d’ve labored, however Bell rode the wall within the remaining flip, and NASCAR deemed it a security violation, penalizing him and sending William Byron to Phoenix as a substitute.
In the meantime, Wallace wasn’t the one one to commit a questionable act. Chevrolet teammates Chastain and Dillon appeared to create a blockade, which in flip allowed Byron to maintain his place on the monitor and keep forward of Bell.
The trio suffered some punishment for his or her actions, as NASCAR delivered large penalties to the drivers and their groups on Tuesday night. Nonetheless, Harvick didn’t precisely have an issue with what transpired, as he defined on the most recent episode of Kevin Harvick’s Blissful Hour.
“We brazenly speak about (race manipulation) on the Superspeedways on a regular basis, proper? It’s undoubtedly a producer race. There’s a plan that goes together with it, and the remainder of the races are not any completely different,” Harvick defined. “I hate to let you know, however should you’re not into the politics of no matter you’re doing, you’re in huge bother, as a result of there’s politics in every part that we do. I believe, whenever you have a look at the issues that the producers speak about and the issues that the groups speak about, the issues that they should execute and the way you assist the companions which can be throughout the similar model, it’s not new.
“This method makes you do issues which can be uncomfortable and also you push them till you get to a degree the place you get in bother, whether or not it’s, — have you ever been doing what it’s important to do on a restart, doing what it’s important to do through the race? I imply, there are simply issues that it’s important to do. Sadly, it comes down to at least one level right here and there, and everyone is well-informed of the place that sits. We speak about it on the superspeedways and I simply don’t assume it’s any completely different.”
Persevering with, Harvick utilized examples of previous race manipulation that wasn’t punished by NASCAR, believing that the decision-makers are going to need to create a hardline stance shifting ahead on the difficulty.
“After I have a look at that state of affairs, it doesn’t rub me the flawed manner prefer it does different individuals. That’s a product of what you do, and this can be a huge enterprise. There are quite a lot of politics concerned in it. There are three producers which can be concerned in it. There’s a way more open dialogue and communication of the expectations of who you assist and whenever you assist them and the way you assist them. So, it’s a tricky spot,” the previous Cup Sequence champion mentioned. “It’s a tricky state of affairs to be in. I’ve been in them.
“2020, , we didn’t make the Championship 4 and Christopher Bell was informed to not move Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch. I had a teammate that was asleep on the wheel that completed proper in entrance of me. And we didn’t actually right that. … There’s quite a lot of questions that come from each eventualities with the No. 24 and the No. 20 and the No. 23. So, , I’m not saying that something was proper or flawed, as a result of I don’t have these solutions.
“I believe these are solutions that we’re going to have to listen to from NASCAR and, , the place, what they assume and what that line is.”
Alas, NASCAR deemed what Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon did was in opposition to the foundations, however Kevin Harvick isn’t bashing the trio for his or her position on this previous weekend’s drama. However, it wasn’t an excellent search for the game, and it’s one thing they’ll be making an attempt to keep away from sooner or later.
