NASCAR, Hollywood Casino 500: Takeaways from Kansas
By Ted Fleming
2. Happy Harvick bullish on Chase
On Sept. 6, Kevin Harvick tweeted out a video of a bull charging from the ring into the stands with the message, “My mood for the next 11 weeks.” Many believed it was out of frustration with his pit crew after Darlington where he finished second, a race he thought he would win. He later explained it was about his approach to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
It seems to have worked because he won in the first round in Chicago after a 20th place finish the week before, then added one in Kansas following a 38th just a week ago. Each time he advanced in a pressure packed situation.
“I think the best thing is that we prepare this thing for every race,” Harvick said. “I try every week to find something to motivate myself and I know these guys do the same thing. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated and continue to perform at a high level. Being able to do it for three years now says a lot about the character of this team and the things that they do. It is like they say, anything that is really, really hard to get and come by, there are going to be some obstacles and some bumps in the road. I am just really proud of everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing.
“These races are so hard to win, and these guys are so good at the details. You put their backs against the wall and they get better. Really proud of them.”
The kind of mentality has carried him many times and his win in the Hollywood Casino 400 is proof of that. Now he is one step closer to his second title in three years.
“I’ve done a poor job the first half if the year. We struggled with some ratios and timing. We came up with some ratios that really fit what we were doing, and the processes and some other things and it has really paid off twice in the Chase.”