(Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Despite finishes outside the top 10, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick both clinched playoff spots in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.
The two veterans clinched by virtue of William Byron, a repeat winner, winning the race.
Both drivers had their work cut out for them from the get-go. Harvick qualified for the Go Bowling at The Glen in 33rd and Keselowski had to start from the rear because of unapproved adjustments.
Much like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last week, the race had just one caution — but this time sandwiched toward the middle. Chase Elliott ran out of fuel on Lap 57, shaping the Lap 60 restart as the only of the day. That said, passing and track position were both hard to come by.
Harvick didn’t have crew chief Rodney Childers on Sunday as he went home to tend to a family emergency. More than anything, the 47-year-old from Bakersfield, California was just happy to be done with road course racing for awhile after consecutive finishes outside the top 20.
“I wish we could have won a race before now, but we’ve had our opportunities to win a few,” Harvick said after the race. “It was just tough to pass. We had a good car, we just started in the back and didn’t really have — couldn’t really do much.
“We just need to get our cars running better to really do anything.”
(Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Harvick has six top fives and 11 top 10s through the first 25 races of his farewell season. His average finish is 14.4 and had an average running position of 13.4 heading into The Glen.
But Ford, and Stewart-Haas Racing in particular, have struggled to find speed in 2023. The organization is winless and Harvick is the only SHR driver currently inside the provisional playoffs. With 15 of 16 spots secured, a SHR driver would need to win at Daytona International Speedway next weekend to race for a championship.
On the other side of the coin, RFK Racing has two wins this season with Chris Buescher and now has both of its drivers in the playoffs.
“Proud of everybody and excited to head to Daytona locked in with both of our cars sitting sixth and seventh in the points,” Keselowski said. “It’s just major progress. I felt like we were making progress this time last year and it just wasn’t as visible as it is today … you feel the progress and momentum building. It’s an exciting time for us at RFK.”
Keselowski has five top fives and 10 top 1os this season, far exceeding both numbers compared to last season. He’s winless in his last 87 tries, a streak that dates back to Talladega Superspeedway in spring 2021 — his last in the No. 2 car for Team Penske.
Both Keselowski and Harvick are safe heading into the final regular-season race at Daytona. Bubba Wallace currently holds the final spot on the provisional grid.
For Harvick, he just wants to leave with his car in one piece.
“Just go home with the car rolling,” Harvick said. “That’s my goal.”
