As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicago for the Grant Park 165, Kevin Harvick and the Harvick’s Happy Hour crew are locking in their predictions.
The favorite for Sunday’s race is Shane van Gisbergen, last season’s surprise winner of the event. Harvick believes it’s SVG’s race to lose once again in 2024, but he’s adding an interesting long shot to his prediction.
“You know who I’m picking, I think he’s going to win again. I think SVG is going to win again,” Harvick stated, riding with the New Zealander. “I think the long shot is Justin Haley.”
Kaitlyn Vincie agreed with Harvick, riding with SVG as well, but Mamba Smith took Harvick’s Haley prediction one step further, believing the Rick Ware Racing wheelman will win the race in Chicago.
“I’m picking Justin Haley to win this race,” Smith said, regarding last season’s runner-up in Chicago. “He put himself into a situation last year to win it, and actually I changed my mind because you got me fired up because you used him as a secondary pick.
“Originally I was going to pick Tyler Reddick, because I thought it was redemption time, because he was actually the only one who could keep up with SVG, and he has ties to Chicago, Illinois. You know, Jumpman. But I think I’m going Justin Haley.”
While a victory from Shane van Gisbergen would be awesome, it wouldn’t have the effect on the playoff standings that Justin Haley getting to Victory Lane would. Time will tell if any of the Harvick’s Happy Hour crew are correct, but they’re certainly making some interesting picks for this weekend’s race.
Kevin Harvick hits panic button on multiple drivers
Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick is ready to push the panic button for multiple wheelmen, as the summer rages on for the NASCAR Cup Series.
With Joey Logano locking up his spot in the playoffs with a win in Nashville, the cut-line for the playoffs continues to wane. On the latest episode of his Harvick’s Happy Hour show, the former NASCAR champion relayed which drivers he’s keeping a close eye on at the moment.
“Panic button for the No. 8 (Kyle Busch). Panic button for the No. 4 (Josh Berry). Panic button for the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe). Panic button for the No. 23 (Bubba Wallace),” Harvick relayed, regarding which drivers’ playoff standing he’s concerned about at the moment.
While Harvick’s thoughts on Busch have been well publicized over the last couple of weeks, Harvick focused a bit on Bubba Wallace in particular, believing the No. 23 will likely need a win to make the playoffs in 2024.
“Well, we’ve obviously touched on Kyle Busch. We’re concerned about Kyle Busch. I’m concerned about Bubba Wallace,” Harvick added. “For me, I think they’re just missing a little bit, on the speed side of things, and they haven’t been able to put a lot of things together, and when they do, it’s kind of been like Kyle Busch. It doesn’t go right for them. It doesn’t seem to work out, in the end. So, I think they have the capability, to put more speed together at certain places, and it’s just going to come down to capitalizing on those days, where he’s able to go to a race track where they can do that.
“But the problem now is he’s 51 points out of P16. If another person wins, then it’s going to be an even bigger deficit, and they’re going to have to point their way through some stages, and start scoring more points at a much more rapid pace. So, he’s my big concern.”
Alas, it remains to be seen if Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe or any of the other bubble drivers Kevin Harvick is keeping an eye on can sneak into the playoffs with a win. Regardless, it should be a fascinating summer of racing, with some unpredictable scenarios coming to light over the next couple of weeks.
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