"I just hope we know how we got here"- NASCAR star Kevin Harvick divulges tire management at Bristol as he delves into the "best accidents"

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has expressed his dilemma about how the sport has attained the status desired by the drivers and the teams.

The Food City 500 race was hosted by the Bristol Motor Speedway and saw Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin sealing his second consecutive win on the 0.533-mile asphalt.

Unlike many NASCAR races, where complaints about aerodynamics, speed, and reliability take center stage, the run at Bristol witnessed problems with extreme tire wear. The bankings on the BMS go up to 24 degrees, and the resulting inconsistent tire degradation, wherein the right ones deteriorate faster compared to the left ones, makes tire management a cumbersome affair.

Initially, nine sets of compounds were allowed, but the unforeseen conditions of the track prompted the officials to permit another set of tires. Harvick believes this situation of uncertainty is precisely where the sport should be, as he outlined the much-needed "adapt and adjust" side of the high-octane motorsport.

During the Harvick Happy Hour podcast, the 2014 Cup Series champion unraveled his thoughts about tire management at Bristol.

He said (via X):

"We have asked for the tires to wear out to the cords. Sure, this was extreme...they thought they were on damage control. This might be one of the best accidents that's ever happened in a sport."

Harvick added:

"If we went back today, the teams would adapt and adjust, they'd change the camber, they'd change the toe, they'd change their setup...this is exactly what we wanted and asked for. I just hope we know how we got here. We didn't expect to be here, and here we are."

"I love the fact that the tires wear out and your setup matters. Not one word about aero push and aerodynamics and short-track packages. All we heard about is, 'My car needs to handle better,' 'My tires are wore out."

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Kevin Harvick slams NASCAR for their reluctance to increase horsepower as he puts forth his "more than a 1000 HP" ask

The debate for increasing horsepower has, on majority of the occasions, found itself sidelined from the priority list of NASCAR. Changes in the aerodynamic profile, paint schemes, cost caps, and many more, have been implemented by the management. However, when the topic shifts to realizing the full potential of the high-octane engines, NASCAR seemingly takes a defensive stance.

With the advent of NextGen cars, improvements in the race-viability of the stock cars are evident. Nevertheless, as much as Harvick confers with the positives of NASCAR's new package, he couldn't resist questioning the reluctance behind the "more than 1000 horsepower" engine.

A few days after the drivers' Phoenix stint, Kevin Harvick unraveled his thought process (via X):

"I still think it's gotta have more than 1000 Horsepower. For the life of me, I cannot understand why we wanna keep spending millions of dollars on CFD and wind tunnels changing, changing parts and changing pieces."

The 48-year-old added:

"The engine cost hasn't changed since we changed the engine rules. I don't understand why we just don't want them to blow the back tires of the car. It does not make any sense to me."