“You’ve got to make some stuff happen”: Kevin Harvick on how to deal with a tricky playoff Bristol race

Kevin Harvick will make his final stop at the Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, as he is set to retire at the end of the season. His final race at Thunder Valley has huge significance as Harvick is on the cusp of advancing into the next playoff round.

The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion currently occupies the final spot of those who will advance into the Round of 12. However, he has a slender margin of seven points over Martin Truex Jr., who is first of the drivers below the cut-off mark. Hence there will be many strategies playing out over the 500-lap race at Bristol.

Kevin Harvick admitted that any team's strategy depends on their position on the track. The #4 Stewart Haas Racing driver hopes to 'just survive' and collect points. However, he reckons that he will have to take matters into his own hands if he is at the rear of the field.

“The ‘just survive’ strategy at Bristol is great as long as you’re up in the points or in the middle of the pack in the points. But if you’re in the bottom third of those points, you’ve got to make some stuff happen and try to get points in the stages and try to win the race,” Harvick was quoted saying by Speedway Digest.

Kevin Harvick also added that strategy is often decided by the playoff standings, which represents the results from the first two races in the round. He recalled his previous season's playoff run when he entered the Bristol race in a must-win situation.

“I think the thing that people kind of lose track of in these Playoffs, and especially in this particular instance with Bristol, is that a lot of your strategy is dictated off of what happened the first two weeks."

He added:

"Last year for us, going into Bristol we needed to win because of what happened at Darlington when the car caught on fire, and then you were behind right off the bat.”

Harvick is expected to advance into the Round of 12 as he has an impressive record at the concrete oval at Bristol, having won three races.

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Cole Custer speaks about Kevin Harvick's impact on SHR

NASCAR Xfinity driver Cole Custer was previously teamed up with Kevin Harvick at Stewart Haas Racing. He will run a special livery this weekend at Bristol in tribute to the 2014 Cup Series champion.

Custer spoke about the significant impact Harvick has had on SHR and how great a mentor he has been for many young drivers on the team.

"Just trying to pay honor to Kevin because he has been such a huge part of SHR and a huge mentor to a lot of us around here...” he said in a tribute video. “He is definitely somebody who asks a lot of his people and demands a lot of excellence, you know, and I think that’s what makes him great.”

Cole Custer will pilot #00 Ford which will adorn Kevin Harvick's iconic Mobil 1 paint scheme in the Food City 300 this Friday, September 15.