Kevin Harvick to Start in Pole Position at Las Vegas With Record Win in Sight

Published 09/23/2020, 11:34 AM EDT

Last weekend, Kevin Harvick staved off a charging Kyle Busch to win at the Bristol Motor Speedway. As a result, he is set to start from pole position at the Las Vegas Speedway. However, Busch will be right on his tail in second place.

Harvick certainly has a chance to extend his lead in the Cup Series championship. With Denny Hamlin an arm’s length away in 10th place, this is Harvick’s best chance of bolstering his advantage.

For Busch, it is a far more desperate situation as he fights to stay alive in the Playoffs. It is also a matter of personal pride, as he has yet to bag a win in the 2020 season. As the 2019 Cup Series winner, he is keen to be among the winners and try and defend his crown.

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Updated Cup lineup with some manufacturer fixes. pic.twitter.com/kCbxn4EWhJ
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 23, 2020

How does the rest of the pack line up behind Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch?

Behind the lead pair are Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola, both of whom are also in the playoff battle. Joey Logano rounds out the Top-5, while Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, and Hamlin complete the Top-10. The remaining two drivers in the playoff race are Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski.

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The Las Vegas race marks the first race of the second playoff round. Here, another few drivers have to battle it out over the span of three races to avoid elimination. NASCAR’s new qualifying formula that is being followed since the last few weeks set up the grid for the race.

Sep 19, 2020; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) leads Alex Bowman (88) during the Nascar Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Due to this, Kevin Harvick has been grabbing multiple pole positions lately. However, the races are long and the competition is getting fiercer. So there is a real possibility that someone may try and step up to the plate and stop Harvick.

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Admittedly, the Bristol race was Kyle Busch’s race to lose, as he was quite dominant. Unfortunately, Joey Logano made a mistake and ended up getting in Kyle’s way. As a result, Kevin Harvick was able to catch up and pass the unsettled #18 driver. After his ninth win, Harvick now aims to grab a 10th win and become the first driver since 2007 to earn 10 wins in a season.

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.