Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick had the upper hand to win last weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway until he pulled into the pit road with 29 laps to go. Insufficient efforts from his crew team at the most important time of the race hurt his chances of qualifying for the playoffs as he finished the race in P4.
Watching Chris Buescher pull out of the pit lane far ahead of him annoyed Harvick as he called out his crew over the radio, saying:
“I swear to God, we look like the biggest f***ing bunch of wankers every single week on pit road”
Former NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman believes that the 46-year-old's reaction to his pit crew’s gaffe over in-car radio highlighted the factors that would have made him a quarterback as opposed to a punter had football become his profession.
In the latest episode of NASCAR on NBC Podcast, fellow driver and part-time TV analyst Parker Kligerman said that Kevin Harvick is a person who demands excellence from his crew members. He said:
“I know Kevin [Harvick] has always been really hard on his pit crews, but he is a person that demands excellence. You have to understand, Kevin Harvick would have been successful if he chose to be an NFL quarterback, an NBA player, or a race car driver.”
The Bakersfield, California native stands 12th in the Cup Series points table with 416 points and is winless, an uncomfortable position to be in with only 10 races left in the regular season.
“That guy is incredible at turning it on”- Parker Kligerman came out in support of Kevin Harvick
Speaking about Harvick, the NBC Sports analyst said that he is a mental competitor, athlete, and a perfectionist who works on and off-screen to make things happen. He said:
“Mentally, as a competitor, as an athlete, that guy is incredible at turning it on and being absolutely perfect and doing the work behind the scenes to be perfect. I think people have known him for so long in the sport and seen that. They see the public side of his frustration when it doesn’t go right and the run-ins he’s had.”
Catch Kevin Harvick and his team at the Nashville Superspeedway on June 26, 2022.