Kevin Harvick looks to add to his four Richmond Raceway victories. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. – If one wonders how Kevin Harvick earned his moniker, “The Closer,” a glance at his record at Richmond Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) offers plentiful insights.
Other than his dominant victory in the 2011 fall race, Harvick led 54 laps in his first Richmond win in the fall of 2006, three in the spring 2013 race and 55 in last August’s race. Essentially, Harvick’s march to the front at the 0.75-mile track is likened to Bruce, the great white shark, in the Jaws movie.
The sight of Harvick’s No. 4 Ford Mustang lurching behind his competitors is as common as the Bakersfield, California native’s tenacity and quip with his competitors and press. After offering mildly witty responses about his memories of “The Action Track,” the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion offered more detailed insights about his track record.
“It’s been pretty good. We’ve won here a lot,” Harvick said. “It’s been a great track. I enjoy the short track and just the kind of change in the racetrack and the car and vehicle, lap after lap, and having to make adjustments and the fall off and all the things that come with good short track racing, from the driver’s seat, fall into play here at Richmond.
“So it’s always been a really good place but winning always makes it more fun.”
Harvick boasts an impressive average finish of 9.7 at Richmond, a tough feat at a track that acts like an intermediate speedway. Aside from his wins, he is incredibly consistent with 17 top fives and 29 top 10s in his past 43 starts.
Notably, Harvick has some of his memorable moments at the track besides the victories. It is the sight of Harvick’s tough guy persona coming to light, especially when he confronted Ricky Rudd in the 2003 fall race. Few drivers dared to speak face-to-face with Rudd after a tough on-track ordeal, but Harvick was not afraid to chime his thoughts.
Although it is unlikely that Harvick will jump on another competitor’s hood, he is more likely to keep doing what his younger self did throughout his storied career. Essentially, in spite of Richmond being an abrasive, tough short track with tires and equipment, Harvick intends to go the only way he does best – fast.
“I tell people this all the time (when asked), ‘How do you save your tires?’ And I’m like, I don’t,” Harvick said. “I just go as hard as I can to the ability to the car to not slip a tire and try to put it in the right spot on the racetrack and not have smoke coming off the back tire, but you still have to try to go fast every lap.”
Entering Sunday’s race ranked fifth in points with two top fives and three top 10 results, Harvick hopes some of that youthful enthusiasm and all out approach is rewarded with another victory, particularly during his final full-time Cup season.
For a driver who will hang up his full face helmet and firesuit for a suit and tie to join FOX NASCAR’s booth, he does not seem like he is any hurry to slow down while his competitive fire is still lit like an Olympic torch.’
“You have to go as fast as the car will let you go every lap because in 20 laps, it might not go fast anymore,” he said. You need to at least get what you can in the 20 laps. I don’t ever try to save anything. I try to do what I can with the car to not make it push or slide the back so that it’s abusing the tires. But I’m always trying to go as fast as I can go.”
Editor’s Notes
Nathan Solomon contributed to this article directly on-site from Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.
