"I'm going with the Ford of William Byron" - Kevin Harvick counts Chevy vs. Ford strengths ahead of Atlanta playoff opener

Kevin Harvick humorously declared his favorite picks for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick reckons Ford drivers will be the fastest at the 1.54-mile oval, however, he picked Chevy driver William Byron to win the race.

Ahead of the Quaker State 400, Harvick analyzed the strengths of the Fords and Chevrolets for the unique Superspeedway style racing produced at Atlanta. He believes the Ford Mustang Dark Horse will be the fastest, however, the Chevrolet drivers will be aided with better handling, which he suggests is of the essence at the 1.54-mile oval.

In the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast, co-host Kaitlyn Vincie asked Harvick to name his favorite pick for the playoff opener. Harvick initially chose Ford but later picked Byron to win the race, which went unnoticed by the co-hosts.

"I'm going to take a Ford. [Who?] I don't know... I think it needs to go right for William Byron. I am going to go with him two weeks in a row and they've run well there before. They're like, I think it's either going go super good or super bad for them," he said. [at 50:14]

After co-host Mamba Smith realized Kevin Harvick made contrasting picks, he burst into laughter. The 2014 NASCAR Cup champion then elaborated:

"I duped her into it... I'm going with the Ford of William Byron!" Harvick said jokingly. "I just think those cars, the Chevrolets they handle good. I think the handling is going to be the essence. The Fords are going to be the fastest, but it's that balance of downforce vs. speed and I just think that the Chevrolet seems to have a better handling vs. speed scenario."

Kaitlyn Vincie picked Team Penske driver Joey Logano to win the playoff opener, while Mamba Smith picked Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. The Quaker State 400 is scheduled for this Sunday, September 15, at 3:00 PM ET.

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Kevin Harvick previews Round of 16 and makes championship prediction

With the NASCAR Cup Series entering the playoff season, the venues for the Round of 16 include Atlanta Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen, and the cut-off race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kevin Harvick reckons the results at Atlanta will heavily influence which drivers will advance to the next round. He predicted Daniel Suarez, Harrison Burton, and Alex Bowman to be knocked out in the first round, and was left pondering about his fourth pick.

"I think that Suarez out, Harrison Burton is out. I think you're going to have a surprise, Alex Bowman is out, and who else...?"[from 36:45]

Coming to his championship pick, Harvick insists Denny Hamlin will finally clinch the elusive Cup championship. Harvick elaborated:

"I'm sticking to my guns, Denny Hamlin...I think when Denny looks at the way they have run this year, the way that they ran at Phoenix, he's got to know he's running out of shots. When he sees that regular season trophy sitting in the shop at 23XI, I believe there is some sort of motivation there."

Kevin Harvick suggested that Hamlin and his crew chief Chris Gabehart are locked in and motivated to win the championship.