Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. both hit the wall during an ill-fated battle for the lead
By Holly Cain via Autoweek
Kevin Harvick was in the right place at the right time to take the lead, then put on an impressive show of tenacity to hold off a hard-charging Austin Dillon to earn his second career Southern 500 win at Darlington Raceway in Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener.
It may have been his series best eighth victory of the season, but the veteran Harvick was emotional on the team radio, letting out a loud congratulatory yell as he crossed the finish line a mere .343-seconds in front of Dillon and the field. Then, instead of taking the checkered flag after parking at the finish line, Harvick allowed an appreciative young fan – dressed in a brightly-colored Harvick t-shirt – to keep the flag himself.
It was that kind of a feel-good night for Harvick, who marked his 57th career victory, ninth best all-time. He took the lead for good on lap 355 of 367 after Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. made contact with the wall racing for the trophy in front of him.
“The first thing I want to say is ‘welcome back fans’,” Harvick said after climbing out of his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and motioning toward the limited number of fans allowed in the grandstands at the iconic track.
“Just wound up fighting all night long, this Busch Beer Ford Mustang wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but the leaders got tangled up there and next thing you know we were racing for the win,” Harvick said.
“Anytime you can win the Southern 500 it’s a good day. This is one of the most prestigious races in our sport and one of the most prestigious race tracks in our sport. Any time you can win at Darlington it’s a big deal.” Read more from Autoweek.
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