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“You Cannot Just Rest”- Former NASCAR Star on Why Kevin Harvick Failed to Make the Championship Race

Published 11/03/2020, 1:20 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

When Kevin Harvick faced the ax in the Round of 8, it came as a massive shock to a legion of his fans. Up until now, he had been one of the favorites, considering that he bagged 9 wins in the regular season.

To put it into perspective, it is like watching Lewis Hamilton being unable to mount a challenge for the title; the idea is simply laughable.

Recently, former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton opened up on why Harvick didn’t make the cut. Burton said, “With this playoff that you had today, you cannot just rest on what you did in the regular season.

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“Not that they did, but they had some bad luck with the tire going down, and secondly, they didn’t run well.”

“Can’t Ignore the First Eight Innings” – Denny Hamlin Gives His Views on Kevin Harvick’s Elimination and the Playoff System

Could Kevin Harvick mount a comeback from the flat tire?

In theory, he definitely could have mounted a comeback, considering how Brad Keselowski managed to do it. Unfortunately, Kevin Harvick just didn’t have the pace to pull it off.

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In fact, this lack of pace was seen throughout the race; so it wasn’t just his tire issue. However, Burton admitted that he was surprised that a team of Stewart-Haas Racing’s caliber missed out.

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USA Today via Reuters

Although some fans may not like it, that is what happened at the end of the day. Burton insisted that in the playoff scenario, there can be no chance for any driver to slack off or relax. They all have to bring their A-game to each and every race.

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Race wins in the regular season mean nothing if a driver falters in the Playoffs. In the end, this is a different kind of championship from what it used to be during Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty’s era.

“Aren’t Won the Same Way Earnhardt and Petty Did” – Kevin Harvick Highlights Challenges of Winning NASCAR Titles

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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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.
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