Just eight days ago, the story around Kevin Harvick pertaining NASCAR was that he was going through a winless run that lasted almost two entire seasons and that he didn’t look like he was that close to winning after leading just 13 laps all season.
However, it has only taken Harvick eight days to entirely flip that narrative and possibly establish himself as one of the most risky drivers in NASCAR right now.
To win the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway and earn his second straight victory, Harvick passed a dominant Joey Logano for the lead in the race’s final quarter. He also carefully considered his tire strategy.
On the final green-flag run, Harvick held off Chris Buescher’s strong push, held off Christopher Bell’s charge (who was running on fresher tires), and held on to win by a carlength.
With his 60th career victory, Harvick is tied with Kyle Busch for ninth place on the list of all-time victories in NASCAR. Additionally, it’s his fourth victory in Richmond, following victories there in 2006, 2011 and 2013.
The outcome of Sunday’s race depended ultimately on pit and tire strategy, just like it did in the spring. With around 60 laps remaining, Chris Buescher completed his final pit stop just ahead of Harvick, which gave him the opportunity to close the distance between them and contend for the lead before losing it.
