Kevin Harvick reacts to NASCAR pace car crash at Phoenix

Kevin Harvick saw it all during his two-decade plus career in NASCAR. But in this past Sunday’s Cup Series championship race at Phoenix, Harvick saw something for the first time.

The season finale came to a halt just before the start of Stage 2 after the pace car crashed into the sand barrels entering pit road. NASCAR put the red flag out to clean up something they never could have envisioned happening, let alone in a championship race.

Harvick, the FOX Sports announcer, called it an “epic failure” by the pace car driver, whom Harvick is wondering still has a job today.

“I’ve seen the pace car catch on fire, I’ve seen F1 pace cars spin out in the rain, but never just spin out on a 75-degree day in Phoenix turning onto pit road,” Harvick said on Tuesday’s “Happy Hour” podcast. “That was an epic failure. … There’s no way to hide it. Does he get fired? Is he evicted from the pace car duties? That was bad.”

OH MY GOODNESS.

The pace car crashed entering pit road. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/NWkPeLXsVe

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) November 10, 2024

Joey Logano reacts to push for NASCAR to change playoff format

The pace car wreck fortunately did not become the major story coming out of the race. That belonged to Joey Logano and his capturing of a third Cup Series title. Logano led 107-of-312 laps, outlasting his fellow Championship 4 competitors Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and shutting up many fans who called him an undeserving champion.

Logano finished the season with an average finish of 17.1, the worst for a driver in a championship-winning season.

“Outside of what was brought up to me in the media center and a couple times today during media stuff, I haven’t heard much of it,” Logano said Tuesday of complaints about the playoff format, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “The part I don’t understand, and I said it the other day, we’ve been doing this for 11 years. And everyone thought it was awesome and now we don’t. What happened? Nothing changed. I don’t get it because as a race fan, if I take myself out of the car or I’ll just watch the Xfinity and the Truck stuff. The same format. I think it’s awesome. I love it.

“The regular season guys, do those guys get an advantage? Absolutely, it’s a pretty big one too. Does that mean that you can just go in cruise control throughout the playoffs? No, obviously. Can you go in cruise control in any other sport through the playoffs? No, you won’t make it to the end. Why do we need to change that? It makes no sense to me when I hear all of this. But whatever, I got the trophy, and I don’t really care.”