While Kevin Harvick hasn’t won a race in the opening round of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, he has secured a spot in the round of 12.
Two races into the four-round, 10-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. is still the only driver who has won a playoff race, as he won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to open up the playoffs last Sunday before winning Saturday night’s race at Richmond Raceway to extend his series-high win total to six.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick finished these two races in second and seventh place, respectively, after entering the playoffs with 28 playoff points.
He earned 20 of these playoff points throughout the 26-race regular season by winning three races (15 points) and five stages (five points), and he earned the other eight by finishing in third place in the regular season standings.
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While Truex has been victorious in the opening round of the playoffs, the round of 16, to clinch a berth in the second round, the round of 12, Harvick has not.
That said, the 43-year-old Bakersfield, California native has mathematically secured a spot in the round of 12 anyway, as he sits 69 points above the round of 12 cut line with only the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval remaining in the round of 16.
He cannot possibly fall below the round of 12 cut line in this race, as a maximum of 60 points are on the table for each driver in it, including 10 for winning stage one, 10 for winning stage two and 40 for winning the race.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch has also clinched a berth in the round of 12 for this reason, as he sits 67 points above the round of 12 cut line heading into the round of 16 finale.
With Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch, a three-driver group known as the “Big 3” throughout all of last season, all having punched their tickets to the round of 12 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, which nine drivers will join them? The round of 16 finale, the Bank of America Roval 400, is set to be broadcast live on NBC from the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval in Concord, North Carolina beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET next Sunday, September 29.