Kevin Harvick sides RFK driver over Bubba Wallace for playoff run despite recent upswing

With four regular-season races remaining, NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick has shared his views on the last playoff spot for the 2024 season. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing holds the final playoff spot, with Bubba Wallace, driver of the #23 car, right behind him.

Kevin Harvick's NASCAR Cup Series career spans over 800 races, winning 60, including wins at all crown jewel events. Harvick is also a two-time Xfinity Series champion and emerged victorious at the 2018 All-Star race. Moreover, Kevin Harvick holds the record for Cup Series wins at Phoenix Raceway, with nine wins.

Following NASCAR's return to the Brickyard 400 at IMS, there were a few changes in the Cup Series driver standings. HMS driver Kyle Larson marked his fourth win in 2024, taking the top spot.

The 23XI driver Bubba Wallace recorded a strong performance at the Indianapolis Oval, winning stage two and securing a P5 finish overall. Wallace has been chasing the last playoff spot, and with his top-five finish last Sunday, he's seven points behind Ross Chastain.

However, besides Wallace's compelling performance, Kevin Harvick feels that RFK driver Chris Buescher might steal the playoff spot from the 23XI driver. On the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said:

"I'm super concerned for Ross Chastain and the #1 car. I feel like they've(23XI's #23 team) kind of got their ship right, and I feel like if when their ship is right and headed in the right direction, they have more speed than the one, and now it's only seven points apart for 16th. I still believe Chris Buescher is the spot. I think that that's the guy that technically will be the 16th place" [34:05]

Harvick elaborated on his concerns about Ross Chastain's playoff chances.

"I just feel like somebody's going to win at Daytona, but I'm concerned for the #1 just because of the fact that they haven't shown the speed that that the #23 has, and, in general, they've had some bad luck," he added

RFK Racing's #17 driver Chris Buescher is P12 in the driver standings. Although Buescher has secured nine top-10and six top-five finishes, he remains winless this season.

Harivk believes the #17 driver will look to make a strong comeback after NASCAR's two-week break and snap his winless run.

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"Way over his head" - Kevin Harvick criticizes Kyle Busch's on-track incident at Indianapolis

RCR's #8 driver Kyle Busch has made his way into the spotlight several times this season, majorly because of his involvement in on-track incidents. Busch has had an underwhelming season, most of which hasn't been his wrongdoing.

As Kevin Harvick suggested earlier, Busch has been subject to a ton of bad luck. However, Busch's on-track incident with Denny Hamlin at IMS changed Harvick's opinion. In the same episode of the Happy Hour podcast, he said:

"I feel like Kyle is driving way over his head. His cars have been off the pace on certain weeks, but in this scenario, he's passing Denny Hamlin, he's in the top five, and just way overdrives the corner.

"He’s been in scenarios where it hasn’t been his fault, but this one is 100% on him," [23:24

Busch is P18 in the driver standings, going through the longest winless streak of his career. With four regular-season races left, there's uncertainty behind the #8 driver's chances to make it to the playoffs this season.