Kevin Harvick will get some time on Bristol’s dirt track prior to the NASCAR Cup race. Harvick announced Tuesday that he will enter the NASCAR Truck series race on March 27 on the .533-mile oval which has been turned into dirt track.
Harvick said that while the Truck series race might not race equipment like he will in the Cup race the next day, he said “nothing beats seat time.”
He also has a great deal of experience to draw on including his team owner Hall of Famer Tony Stewart.
“Tony has a huge background and should be an integral part of what we do as a race team as far as making sure that we’re prepared,” Harvick said. “But I think, for me personally, I know that I’m going to be a little bit at a deficit as far as when I look at the racetrack and the things that I see and where I need to go. Do I need to keep moving up? Do I need to move down? When does it go dry slick? What’s the racetrack going to be like? What are you anticipating?”
Harvick can also call on his newest Cup teammate Chase Briscoe who spent his time moving up to NASCAR racing on dirt.
“Just know that I’m still going to be driving a Cup car on a dirt track,” Harvick said. “It’s not going to be like a dirt late model or a midget or a modified, but those guys that do that stuff all the time will definitely have an advantage of knowing where they need to go when they need to go and I just kind of have to follow along and keep my eyes open and pay attention.”
Harvick’s last race in the Truck series was at Pocono in August of 2015 where he finished second to Kyle Busch.
To gain some road course experience Harvick is also entered the Xfinity races at COTA, Road America and the road course at Indy.
Harvick raced in the Xfinity series last in 2018 entering five races winning at Atlanta.
Ryan Preece will enter two consecutive Truck races running at Nashville on June 18 followed by Pocono the following week. Nashville will mark Preece’s Truck series debut.
Already announced, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano have entered the Bristol Dirt Nationals which will be held the week prior to the NASCAR weekend. 2021 Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell has said he is trying to put together an entry for the Dirt Nationals but has yet to make a formal announcement.
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.
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