Kevin Harvick explains his secret to success at Michigan International Speedway
There is no disputing that over the last five years, Kevin Harvick has dominated Michigan International Speedway. The 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion has won five of the last seven races at the speedway and is looking for another. After all, he’d love to give his kids one last ride to victory lane at a track that means so much to the Harvick family.
Over the years, Kevin Harvick has just figured out Michigan. This will be the 43rd time he lines up at the track for a Cup Series race. It took him nine years to find victory lane in Michigan. However, he would go on to rattle off four straight runner-ups in 2013-2014.
Ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400, Harvick opened up about how he gets around the track so quickly. It is all about exiting the center of the corner with speed.
“Michigan is one of those places where you don’t want to miss the center of the corner,” said Harvick, via NASCAR. “You want to be on the throttle at the center of the corner and get that good exit speed to make the straightaway as long as you can.
“So, the less you can touch the brake pedal and the more time you can spend on the throttle to make those straightaways as long as possible, the better speed you’re going to make. And Michigan in the past has been pretty line-sensitive, so you’ve just got to be careful about where you are on the race track. And if you miss that on the entry, it just screws the whole corner up.”
Five wins in the last seven races and a driver rating higher than any other active driver in the Cup Series at this track, Harvick could do it again.
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Kevin Harvick not the favorite for FireKeepers Casino 400
Despite all of his success at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick is not the favorite. Instead, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are tied as the favorites heading into the race weekend.
At 7-1 odds, Larson and Hamlin have a chance to get into another spat on the track. Both drivers could show speed at Michigan and if so, will be in the mix to win.
Kyle Busch is listed at 15-2 odds. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick is listed at 8-1 odds alongside Martin Truex Jr., the points leader, and William Byron. So, what is up with Harvick not getting respect?
The Closer went through a rough patch from Nashville to Atlanta. P24, P29, and P30 finishes did not help his season at all. However, P4 at New Hampshire and Pocono paired with a hard-fought P10 at Richmond has the ship steadying a bit. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of momentum. Harvick has qualified in the top-10 in three of the last four races. The speed is there, now he needs to see it through to the end.