The NASCAR Playoffs have now kicked off in earnest and the second race will go down at the Richmond Speedway. Once again, Kevin Harvick lines up on pole position, putting him in another prime spot to consolidate his championship lead.

Alongside him is Joey Logano, with Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman in 3rd and 4th. However, Denny Hamlin has a tough task ahead of him in 7th place. Hamlin will have to work his way past William Byron and Kyle Busch, along with Dillon and Bowman, to get to Kevin Harvick.

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The remaining Playoffs drivers rounding the Top-10 out are Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Aric Almirola. Meanwhile, Clint Bowyer, Chase Elliott, Cole Custer, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, and Matt DiBenedetto fill out the remaining places on the grid.

Can anyone stop Kevin Harvick?

Harvick has an impeccable qualifying record at Richmond since this is his third pole in his career. He led the pack at Richmond, back in 2018 and 2019, thus making it three Richmond poles over the course of three years. In addition to that, he also has three wins under his belt and will be aiming for a fourth.

Incidentally, this is also Harvick’s fourth pole position in a Cup Race in the 2020 season. Of course, the positions were decided, based on owner points position, the driver’s finish, team owner’s finish, and the fastest lap from the last race.

It is also worth noting that with the Playoffs underway, all qualified cars occupy the Top-16 on the grid. Later on, as more cars get eliminated, the remaining cars will stay in the top positions ahead of the rest of the pack.

NASCAR has been using this system since qualifying is not a possibility, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the formula, the sport implemented a random draw to decide its lineups since May.

So, the burning question is, ‘Will Kevin Harvick romp away as usual, or will someone try to spoil the party?’