Has Kevin Harvick (at age 43) Lost A Step?

AdoubleU24 said:
I need to dig up the Chase Elliott thread where you were oozing about the guy and how you were a newfound fan. Or when you said the same thing about Kyle Busch being the goat. Flip flopping at its finest.

And trust me, he can beat Larson at Phoenix. Everyone on here that automatically assumes that's not possible is setting themselves up for an offseason of tears. And at this point I really hope it happens cause holy ****, the people that don't like Chase are more concerned about the results of Larson vs. Chase than Chase himself is.
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I like Chase, I'm here to dunk on his fans and NASCAR.
 
Blaze said:
Yeah, that’s not my job. I’m not on the team, I can’t do anything to beat Larson. So as a fan of Chase, I think being concerned about Harvick is understandable.
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I don't think Harvick will do anything but, if he does, the penalty better be the same as it was for Kenseth. Two races. Meaning no Daytona.

But they better give him a waiver for the playoffs since they've done that in the past for suspensions. Which they shouldn't do.
 
AdoubleU24 said:
Anyone winning a race or a championship besides Chase Elliott is a disappointment. That's called being a fan and that's the way I watch sports. I root for one guy just like I root for one team in every other league. Sure there's other drivers I "like" just as general human beings and what they bring to the sport, but that's where it ends. Sue me.
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That's a pigeon holed kind of fandom. But if that's what does it for ya, I won't give you any more of a hard time.

I'm pulling for Larson, and naturally would be disappointed if he didn't get it done.

But a Hamlin, Blaney, or Chase win I could get behind. Different strokes for different folks.

Didn't mean to come at ya so agressively.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
"Obviously, performance-wise, from a speed standpoint, we haven’t been where we wanted to be this year, but in the end, this is probably the best year we have had as a group to make something out of the year," he said.

"When you look at the other two columns [besides wins], it looks better than most columns in the field. That’s a huge credit to the race team and the things that we’ve been able to accomplish together."
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FLRacingFan said:
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I honestly could see him signing a short 2 year contract after his one is up in 2023. He still is at the top of his game, I kind of think Ford let him down this year. Seems all the Ford's were behind. I am eager to see how Harv does in the new car.
 

StandOnIt said:
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I knew that race was scheduled to be in the parking lot at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Dec 1-5... but after looking at that short video I recognized the mountains in the background and I didn't think that was at the Rio. I did a little checking and it turns out that the Rio broke their contract at the last minute so they had to scramble to find another place to hold the event. So they ended up holding it at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That really sucks because first they had to change the dates because of the Rio's contractual commitment to the World Series of Poker, and then the Rio ended up breaking the contract with the racing organization anyway and forced them to move the whole event.
Superkarts! USA - Supernationals (superkartsusa.com)
 
Remember before the reconfiguration when it was a win practically every time he showed up? Nobody could run that same line he did down at the bottom. Pretty boring races for everyone except Harvick fans lol.
 
This thread began - over three years ago - with a statistical analysis of Kevin Harvick's skirmish versus Father Time. Since that time, KH threw down a truly great year in 2020, with 9 wins and 20 top-5's. But he hasn't won since 2020, and the top-5's and top-10's have become more scarce. The battle versus Father Time rages on.

Jimmie Johnson is the same age as Harvick... turning 47 this fall/winter. JJ had a great year in 2016 at age 40, grabbing 5 wins, 11 top-5's, and his 7th cup championship. But he hasn't done much since and it sure isn't that he doesn't care anymore. He's looked old... he *is* old... and I don't mean that to be derogatory in any way.

Father Time is undefeated. Career greatness is defined by what you accomplish in your prime... not by whether you can stretch your career longer than some others have done. Stretching a racing career longer even after age diminishes the skills is more about vanity than it is about greatness, IMO. And maybe about the paycheck too?

NBCsports.com has an interesting, data-driven article about Harvick and Father Time, with comparisons to JJ. My personal view is that both drivers are well past their best, JJ more so than KH. Jimmie is addicted to the limelight and can't bear the thought of giving it up, but he's not interested in some non-driving form of participating in the racing world. Kevin is looking for one more great day so he can prove to all that he defeated Father Time. He has other interests to keep him busy, but he wants to delay the transition as long as possible. Just my opinions. What say you?


Kevin Harvick – slump or swan song?
By Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
July 28, 2022

In 775 races, Kevin Harvick has amassed one championship, 58 wins, 241 top-five finishes and 424 top-10 finishes. But he hasn’t won in his last 64 races — since fall Bristol in 2020. And he’s the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series, turning 47 in December. Is Harvick’s recent performance a slump or a signal that it might be time to consider hanging up the firesuit?

NBC_2022_07_28_johnson_cumwins.png


Kevin-Harvick_cum_career_wins.png


nascar.nbcsports.com

Dr. Diandra: Kevin Harvick - Slump or swan song?

Kevin Harvick has one Cup title and 58 wins, but he hasn’t won since 2020. Is Harvick in a slump, or might it be time to consider hanging up the firesuit?
nascar.nbcsports.com nascar.nbcsports.com
 
AuzGrams said:
I personally think Kevin is more competitive than Johnson was in his final seasons. I hope Harvick sticks around and 2025 is his final season if he can’t win again.

Despite being winless, Harvick made good points in 2021 and is 10th in points in 2022.
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Johnson said today he wants to race some more Nascar races. I'm like hell to the no, it was embarrassing watching him the last couple of years before he "retired"? Yeah, I think Harvick has some speed left yet.
 
2021 - 36 races, 0 wins, 10 top 5s, 24 top 10s, 217 laps led, 10.9 AVG FIN, 5th in points.

2022 - 22 races, 0 wins, 5 top 5s, 11 top 10s, 13 laps led, 14.2 AVG FIN, 10th in regular points / 17th in playoff standings.

Still top 10-12 stats in the series easily. All the Fords are a little down on speed in 2022.
 
I’d say he’s definitely past his peak but I don’t see any reason why he can’t still win a few more races, which is all I really want at this point. SHR, and more broadly the Fords, do not have much speed right now. The 4 team doesn’t unload well, but they adjust and work their way up the field throughout the race - Harvick has the best + differential from avg start to avg finish in the series this season, and actually has the most Top 10s of any Ford driver. There’s just not enough raw speed at the moment to consistently contend for wins and Top 5s.
 
LewTheShoe said:
This thread began - over three years ago - with a statistical analysis of Kevin Harvick's skirmish versus Father Time. Since that time, KH threw down a truly great year in 2020, with 9 wins and 20 top-5's. But he hasn't won since 2020, and the top-5's and top-10's have become more scarce. The battle versus Father Time rages on.

Jimmie Johnson is the same age as Harvick... turning 47 this fall/winter. JJ had a great year in 2016 at age 40, grabbing 5 wins, 11 top-5's, and his 7th cup championship. But he hasn't done much since and it sure isn't that he doesn't care anymore. He's looked old... he *is* old... and I don't mean that to be derogatory in any way.

Father Time is undefeated. Career greatness is defined by what you accomplish in your prime... not by whether you can stretch your career longer than some others have done. Stretching a racing career longer even after age diminishes the skills is more about vanity than it is about greatness, IMO. And maybe about the paycheck too?

NBCsports.com has an interesting, data-driven article about Harvick and Father Time, with comparisons to JJ. My personal view is that both drivers are well past their best, JJ more so than KH. Jimmie is addicted to the limelight and can't bear the thought of giving it up, but he's not interested in some non-driving form of participating in the racing world. Kevin is looking for one more great day so he can prove to all that he defeated Father Time. He has other interests to keep him busy, but he wants to delay the transition as long as possible. Just my opinions. What say you?


Kevin Harvick – slump or swan song?
By Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
July 28, 2022

In 775 races, Kevin Harvick has amassed one championship, 58 wins, 241 top-five finishes and 424 top-10 finishes. But he hasn’t won in his last 64 races — since fall Bristol in 2020. And he’s the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series, turning 47 in December. Is Harvick’s recent performance a slump or a signal that it might be time to consider hanging up the firesuit?

NBC_2022_07_28_johnson_cumwins.png


Kevin-Harvick_cum_career_wins.png


nascar.nbcsports.com

Dr. Diandra: Kevin Harvick - Slump or swan song?

Kevin Harvick has one Cup title and 58 wins, but he hasn’t won since 2020. Is Harvick in a slump, or might it be time to consider hanging up the firesuit?
nascar.nbcsports.com nascar.nbcsports.com
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I think Jimmie just wants to be a journey man now. Is he even racing, or is he just going for cruises? I've never seen a driver this old so content with mediocre results.

He's been competitive on Indy ovals, but now is saying he may not run Indy next year. Who knows what he is doing - I'm surprised he never became interested in business.


As for the thread, Harv is definitely falling off. I don't think he's fallen off as hard or steeply as Johnson, but I'd be surprised if he won another race. Like JJ, it's not just the wins that stopped, it's the race winning pace. I think Harvick is still competitive though and consistent enough.

I also can't help but wonder how much he cares about his buddy's company, and if he'd be willing to hold off on retirement until SHR gets some competitive stability again.

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9050lx said:
I think he will run up front if Ford and SHR can figure out the plan.
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Would sure like to know what is holding the Ford's back. All manufacturer's engines are restricted so it cannot be that alone.
 
OldTimer said:
Would sure like to know what is holding the Ford's back. All manufacturer's engines are restricted so it cannot be that alone.
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Must think they're lacking something in the motor department. Shipplett said they're bringing a new spec Ford engine to the track this weekend...........
 
Not much doubt in my mind he’d be back in victory lane. Has had plenty of speed even before the win.
 
I became immediately concerned for Harvicks children when SH switched to Fords.

He was set to win more championships in a Chevy and probably late enough for them to remember Daddy winning it all.

#FordNotGoodForChildren
 
Has he lost a step since a few years ago? Of course he has. Is he a washed up field filler like some people want to make him out as? Of course he isn't.
 
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