Kyle Busch has one coming.
Topping his list of enemies right now, following Saturday night’s chain of events at Darlington Raceway, is Kevin Harvick.
Harvick, 35, must have been a mathematician in an earlier life because there’s no one in the sport better at keeping score.
In the most recent episode of the Happy vs. Rowdy Show, Harvick began door-slamming Busch on the Lap 363 restart of Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington. The round lasted one lap, with Harvick knocking Busch out of the line for position in Turn 4. That created a three-wide battle down the frontstretch that sent Harvick's Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer on a race-ending spin as the two collided.
Busch, 26, retaliated by hooking Harvick at the start-finish line sending an 'enough already' message. But the match didn‘t end there.
Following the race, Harvick chased Busch onto pit road, climbed from his car and approached the No. 18 Toyota. With eight of Harvick’s teammates also in pursuit, Busch elected not to stick around. As Harvick reeled off the first punch, Busch hit the gas and plowed through the No. 29 car. His team later claimed that the reverse gear had malfunctioned.
Both drivers met with NASCAR officials. Details were not immediately available. However, when FOX Sports' Dick Berggren asked Harvick whether the incident was settled, Harvick replied, “You saw the end.”
In the 'Boys have at it' era of NASCAR, disputes are settled on the track. The most recent run of tracks -- Richmond, Darlington and this weekend’s venue, Dover International Speedway -- provide the perfect stages to give tit for tat. Shorter fast tracks, where tempers escalate as the races progress, have a tendency to fuel feuds, as we’ve witnessed over the last few weeks.
Certainly, Harvick’s reputation as an enforcer comes in handy for maintaining the intimidation factor. He seeks justice whether the battles are his or not. That was the case last fall at Dover where Harvick defended RCR’s honor after Denny Hamlin talked smack about Bowyer’s car, which failed inspection following the win at New Hampshire.
The Nos. 11 and 29 teams of Hamlin and Harvick, respectively -- which were parked next to each other -- began jawing in the garage during the first Dover practice. Harvick then avenged his organization on the track by running into the back of Hamlin. Both teams received damage to their cars which cost each driver valuable practice time. Hamlin and Harvick were first and second in standings and separated by 45 points entering Dover -- the second race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
As their teams thrashed to repair the cars, Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus walked around the cars to assess the damage and simply smiled. That fifth title was just nine races away. Although Johnson entered Dover with 92-point deficit, he won the race while Hamlin and Harvick finished ninth and 15th, respectively. Johnson’s victory allowed him to leapfrog over Harvick, who dropped to fifth in the standings.
Harvick climbed back to third in points after the next race at Kansas Speedway, but the driver that dominated the regular season never rose any higher in the standings over the final seven races.
While Harvick remained fifth in points after this most recent skirmish, he lost 15 points to leader Carl Edwards, who finished second at Darlington. Edwards also still owes Busch "one," but he won’t risk his life's greatest professional goal of winning a Sprint Cup championship to exact revenge until the timing is right.
Still, with the Sprint Cup tour returning to Dover this weekend, we’ll soon know if Harvick learned anything from his last adventure at the Monster Mile. It would be very easy just to exchange Busch for Hamlin and watch Harvick 'have at it.' And the entertainment factor for the fans would also be off the chart.
Edwards’ crew chief Bob Osborne could join Knaus in sizing up the competition and cross Harvick off the list as the No. 48 team did the year before.
Edwards and Johnson, who trails the No. 99 team by 23 points, are solid at Dover, compared to Harvick who has never won at the track and has an average finish of 17.3. Edwards’ average Dover finish is 7.7 -- the best in the series. Johnson follows with a 9.7.
Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who trail Harvick by 11 and 15 points, respectively, also have far better Dover records with five victories between them. Newman’s 8.3 qualifying average is the best on the circuit and his average finish of 10.3 isn’t shabby either.
Harvick and Busch are the only two drivers with multiple wins this season. Regardless of the points standings, both drivers should be locks for the Chase. But if Harvick is serious about winning the championship, his concentration this weekend will be solely on a solid finish not retribution.
Save the fun and games for the Sprint All-Star Race when there are no points on the line.
