The next chapter in our “Closer Chronicles” takes us to the 2020 Southern 500 as 2020 sticks out for several reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was one of Kevin Harvick’s most statistically impressive seasons, even if it did not result in a second NASCAR Cup Series title that many people still claim he more than deserved.
Harvick took the opening green flag in eighth place while also occupying the top spot in the playoff point standings. Harvick gained two spots from the jump and settled in as the race worked its way through the first stage.
The competition caution (we had no qualifying or practice at the time due to COVID restrictions) flew on lap 25 where the Busch bunch gained him a spot in the pits, putting the 4 in seventh place after the choose.
Harvick used the preferred lane to make his way into the top-5, and once the run wore on for 10-15 laps, he moved his way into third.
Green-flag pit stops started for the leaders with 44 laps to go in the first stage with Harvick’s Mustang cycling out in eighth before the second caution of the day and the first for incident flew for Brad Keselowski with 34 laps to go in the first stage.
Harvick restarted in 11th place after pit stops as Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace stayed out for track position. Harvick picked his way back into the top-10 as Wallace fell through the field on old tires.
Harvick finished the stage gaining a single stage point for finishing 10th, but a poor pit stop dropped them down the running order. Thanks to the choose, however, Happy chose the inside line and managed to start eighth in the second stage.
Harvick held onto ninth place as the race worked its way through the second stage. Harvick was one of the first front runners to pit with 74 laps to go in the second stage.
Harvick reported that his car was “wicked loose”, so crew chief Rodney Childers and the crew made adjustments to combat this and improve the car’s handling. This stop took place almost 15 laps before the next set of leaders came in for service. Harvick cycled to the lead, but he rode on older tires compared to his competition.
A caution flew with 51 laps to go in the stage before Martin Truex Jr. could get back around the 4 car for the lead. Harvick left pit road in second after the pit stops under the caution and restarted in the fourth position, opting for the preferred line after the choose.
The choice helped him immensely as Happy used the outside lane to maintain second position behind the 19.
Truex Jr. stretched his lead to five seconds as Harvick fell to third to finish the second stage. Austin Dillon who started at the back was also able to drive his way into the top-10 by this point in the race, showing some immense pace.
After the stage break stops, Harvick came off pit road in third. He again gave up positions to restart on the preferred lane, which helped him cling to third as the final stage got underway.
Another yellow flew on lap 246 for John Hunter Nemecheck getting into the wall and suffering major damage. This caution brought everyone down pit road again with the Busch bunch leaving spots on the table as the 4 fell to fourth and restarted behind three of the four JGR entries of Truex, Hamlin, and Busch.
The Bakersfield Basher chose the outside once more to gain an advantage on the restart where he held serve with the top four cars at this point of the race being the four championship four drivers from 2019 flexing their muscles to start the 2020 playoffs.
Green-flag pit stops began again on lap 287 with Harvick being among the first to pit. Truex and the other leaders ducked into the pits on lap 307, giving Harvick 19 laps on track with a fresh rubber advantage. This netted him a 22-second advantage over Truex as he led for the second time in the Southern 500.
Harvick struggled on this run and actually lost the lead to a surging Chase Elliott as the race reached 48 laps to go. Elliott was on the same strategy as Harvick, so the #4 teams response to this development could decide the race.
Before they could have a chance to contemplate strategy, the yellow flag touched the open air again for debris, resetting the field while giving Elliott and Harvick (along with a few leaders that were on the same strategy as them) a massive advantage over Truex Jr. and everyone on the regular strategy.
Elliott’s crew beat Harvick out of pit road by half of a car length to hold the advantage. On the restart, Harvick chose the outside, and once again, he was able to secure second.
However, Truex Jr. used the inside lane to get to Harvick’s fender. Harvick lifted going into turn one and gave up the second position for the time being.
As Harvick held serve in third, Truex Jr. closed in on Elliott for the race lead. As they crossed the stripe with 15 laps to go, Truex Jr. got a run down the front stretch after Elliott took the low line in turns three and four on the previous lap.
Truex Jr. dove to the inside on the entry to turn 1, but the 19 wasn’t clear of Elliott’s Camaro. The ensuing contact put both cars into the wall and would effectively end their nights as both drivers blew tires. Truex Jr. pit from the lead as Harvick took the lead over an ailing Elliott.
Harvick’s victory remained anything but certain as Austin Dillon maintained a half-second gap over the race’s final few laps.
Dillon mounted a charge late as he and Harvick worked through lapped traffic, but it proved futile for the driver of the legendary No. 3 Chevy as Harvick held on masterfully to close out his eighth victory of the 2020 campaign and the 57th of his 60 career wins in typical “Closer” fashion.
(Main Photo Credit: Chris Carlson/AP)
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