NASCAR Cup Series: Kevin Harvick took a major risk

By sliding up into Ross Chastain during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway, Kevin Harvick took a major risk.

On lap 111 of the 147-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200, at Darlington Raceway on Saturday afternoon, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, who competes full-time in the Cup Series, took a major risk.

Harvick attempted to pass Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ross Chastain for the lead heading into turn one of the four-turn, 1.366-mile (2.198-kilometer) egg-shaped Darlington Raceway oval in Darlington, South Carolina.

But coming out of turn two, this attempt ended with Harvick’s #98 Ford sliding into the side Chastain’s #42 Chevrolet, sending Chastain into the wall.

While Harvick shoving Chastain into the wall certainly did not appear to have been done intentionally, the fact is, it could have been avoided, as there were still 37 laps remaining in the race.

Chastain proceeded to get revenge at Harvick by ramming into the back of his car as the two drivers drove down the back straightaway, which sent him spinning into the wall, ending his race.

Here is a video of this situation as it unfolded.

Chastain finished the race two laps down in 25th place after winning its first two stages and leading more laps than anybody else in the field with 90 laps led. Harvick was officially scored in 29th after completing only 111 laps.

In addition to the fact that Harvick risked revenge, which ended up coming just seconds later, from Chastain when he shoved the 25-year-old Alva, Florida native into the wall, the 42-year-old Bakersfield, California native really risked a lot more than that.

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Chastain competes full-time in the Xfinity Series, and he is eligible to score points in the series and therefore compete for the series championship. However, because of the fact that Harvick is a full-time Cup Series driver, he is not eligible to score points in the Xfinity Series nor compete for the series championship. In fact, he will not be able to compete in any Xfinity Series playoff races since he is in his 18th season as a full-time Cup Series driver.

However, in addition to his role as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, Chastain is also (almost) a full-time Cup Series driver. He has driven in 22 of the 24 races that have been contested so far this season, and he has done so behind the wheel of the #15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet.

Chastain does not drive a competitive car in the Cup Series and is usually one of the first drivers to go a lap down. However, he is permitted to compete in the Cup Series playoff races even though he is not eligible to score points in the series nor compete for the championship.

Seeing as how Harvick was willing to shove aside an Xfinity Series championship contender to attempt to win a race that he could not possibly score any points in, what would keep Chastain from spoiling Harvick’s Cup Series championship chances when the playoffs roll around?

Of course, if Chastain ended up ruining Harvick’s Cup Series championship chances intentionally, he would likely face a ton of consequences, the least of which being the fact that he would have a target on his back throughout the rest of his racing career.

However, Harvick himself admitted after his incident with Chastain that he doesn’t expect Chastain to do much in NASCAR anyway. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to Sporting News.

"“Got a really inexperienced guy in a really fast car. Made a really bad move and then wrecked me. Probably the reason that he’ll never get to drive many of them again.”"

So what would Chastain have to lose?

After Harvick moved Kyle Busch out of the way to win the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, Busch made it clear that “how you race is how you get raced”.

Would Chastain consider revenge against Harvick in the Cup Series playoffs since Harvick effectively ruined his chances to earn his first career Xfinity Series victory — and his first career victory in any NASCAR series — in this particular race and cost him several points in the Xfinity Series championship standings, which could be important down the stretch since he current sits in the 12th and final position in the playoff picture?

With Chastain having ruined Harvick’s race at Darlington Raceway after being shoved into the wall by him, it is unlikely that further revenge will be pursued by either driver, especially since both drivers are eligible for separate championships and Harvick’s move came during the regular season. One driver ruined the other’s race, and the other driver immediately got revenge.

That said, Harvick took a major risk by doing what he did to Chastain, especially since the significance of that particular race is as significant if not more significant to Chastain than many Cup Series races are to Harvick. Plus, sometimes revenge isn’t always dealt seconds after the incident begins.

Just ask Denny Hamlin.

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Will Ross Chastain attempt to get back at Kevin Harvick at some point in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, or was ruining his chance to win Saturday’s Xfinity Series race enough? In all likelihood, Chastain won’t affect Harvick’s Cup Series championship chances, but the fact remains that Harvick took a huge risk by doing what he did to Chastain.

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