Harvick: Repaved tracks are more relevant to Indy

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 28, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 28, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Now that Pocono and Michigan have been repaved, 2003 Brickyard winner Kevin Harvick believes those tracks will be more helpful in preparing for Indianapolis.

There have always been perceived parallels between Pocono and the Brickyard, but the new, smoother surface at the Pennsylvania track lends itself more readily to setups that translate to historic 2.5-mile Indianapolis.

“I think you bring a lot more to Indy just because of Pocono and Michigan and how aggressive you can be with the front of the car and keeping the splitter on the ground,” Harvick said. “I think those race tracks apply more to each other than they have in the past.

“They obviously have applied in the past, but I think you can be aggressive at all three of them now.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.