“One of the biggest f***ups in 2024" - Kevin Harvick is not a fan of the repaved NASCAR circuit

With NASCAR returning to Iowa Speedway this weekend, Kevin Harvick lambasted the partial repave done on the short track oval, in anticipation of the maiden Cup Series race scheduled on June 16. Harvick dubbed it as one of the "biggest f***ups" of the season.

Pictures from the recent tire test at the 0.875-mile track circulated on social media, revealing that only the lower two lanes were repaved in the turns, with some sections showing work done solely on the bottom lane.

Kevin Harvick criticized the rushed repave job, suggesting they should have either raced on the old surface or repaved the entire corner. He believes this partial repave will affect the racing product on the short track, as drivers will be restricted to the bottom lane.

"Who in the world decided to repave this racetrack?...You had to run one with the old asphalt. They repaved the racetrack from the middle of the racetrack down. If you’re going to repave it, repave the whole corner because now you’ve got half a racetrack," Harvick said on Happy Hour podcast.

"I know that IndyCar had been there. But this might be one of the biggest F-ups in the whole year. It is one of the biggest mess-ups that we could possibly have this year," he added.

Elton Sawyer, Senior Vice President at NASCAR, explained that they had initially planned to race on the old surface. However, it became apparent earlier that some parts of the track needed work.

Sawyer suggests that the partially repaved track will promote multi-groove racing. Kevin Harvick also hopes that the track surface evolves to support at least two lanes during the race, but reckons racing on the third lane will be impossible.

The Iowa Speedway is gearing up to host the Cup Series for the first time, with the Iowa Corn 350 scheduled on June 16, at 7:00 PM ET.

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Kevin Harvick picks JGR driver to win at Iowa Speedway

Iowa Speedway is set to host the Cup Series for the first time this weekend, as the NASCAR drivers gear up for the challenge presented by the 0.875-mile D-shaped asphalt oval.

Kevin Harvick reckons Joe Gibbs Racing drivers will dominate the Iowa Corn 350, given their performances at short tracks this season. Following his DNF result at Sonoma, Harvick chose veteran JGR driver Denny Hamlin to return to the victory lane this weekend.

"I think we are back in the wheelhouse of the Gibbs cars. I think Denny Hamlin gets back on track... Four-five top fives in a row, and with the engine failure and type of race track that we are going to I think its Denny Hamlin this week," Harvick said (at 56:14).

All three of Hamlin's victories have come at short tracks this season. He was also on a five-race streak of top-five results until his unlucky weekend in Sonoma.