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During the Goodyear 400 race at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, April 6, 2025, NASCAR legends Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer took two ceremonial laps. However, on his latest episode of the "Happy Hour" podcast, host Harvick revealed that his laps were not as smooth as one would expect.
The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver drove the Wood Brothers Racing 1971 Mercury at the 1.366-mile track during the Throwback Weekend. NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson piloted the car and secured a win at Darlington in his debut season with the team in 1972. Meanwhile, Bowyer drove the 1921 Ford Thunderbird at the event.
During the podcast, Kevin Harvick revealed that the brakes on the late-model cars had low friction. This resulted in a nerve-wracking situation for Harvick as he approached the front stretch of the 1.366-mile track. Revisiting the moment, the 2014 Cup Series champion told his co-hosts Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith:
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“Apparently, the people on the front stretch that were taking down the stage and doing everything didn’t realize that we were going to do two laps. Well, when we got back around to the front stretch, they were not paying attention, and we were approaching them at a high rate of speed, and I went to hit the brake pedal, and the brake pedal had low friction… it freaked me out.” [25:30 onwards]
Harvick was able to slow the 1972 Mercury down and added:
“I was thinking to myself, ‘My God, I’m gonna mow this guy over, and the truck in front of me that’s leading us around this pace lap and all those people on the front straightaway taking these cables up are in harm’s way'."
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin won the race, followed by William Byron in the runner-up position, Christopher Bell in third, Tyler Reddick in fourth, and Ryan Blaney, who finished in P5.
NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick revealed his pick for the upcoming Bristol race
With a few days left for the Food City 2025 at Bristol Motor Speedway scheduled this weekend, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick named the driver he expects to win the race. The former professional NASCAR driver predicted that Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin would triumph at the short track race.
If the oldest driver (Denny Hamlin) on the grid secures a win at Bristol Motor Speedway, he will be the third driver to do so in the NextGen Era since 2022. His teammate, Christopher Bell, achieved the feat earlier this season. Bell began his winning streak at Atlanta Motor Speedway and ended it at Phoenix Raceway.
On the podcast, Kevin Harvick poked fun at his co-host Mamba Smith for putting Hamlin the lowest on his points standings.
"I think that I'm gonna have to agree with you. I'm gonna go with Denny Hamlin. That way you're not, can't make up ground," Harvick said. [51:00]
The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for April 13, 2025, at 3:00 PM ET. This will be the last Cup Series race before NASCAR's one-week Easter break.
