Kevin Harvick names playoff drivers below cut with chance to advance at Roval

This weekend, the Roval will serve once again as the cutoff race for the Round of 12. Kevin Harvick has been here before. It wasn’t that long ago that Harvick was sweating it out at the Roval for a chance to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs. Now he talks about it.

Like most in the media, Kevin Harvick knows that it is going to be hard for any driver under the cutline currently to make it above. Making it on points isn’t realistic for two, maybe even three, of the four drivers.

The NASCAR Playoffs have gotten wild at the Roval in the past. It is a track that has recently changed, as recently as last season. So, chaos can always pop up and completely change the points situation on the track.

“I think it all depends on how the 22 car shows up, right?” Harvick said on his Happy Hour podcast. “I just, if he’s, I feel like the 1 car could be better than the 22 car. So, you know, I think that you get into this weird strategy. I think Tyler Reddick could possibly win. Austin Cindric has been okay at that place. You know, he finished decent there last year.

“So, I don’t think you can completely throw him out of the mix as pulling off an upset in the situation. I think for him, his strategy is easy. I think all those guys have an easy strategy. Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick …. eh, I think it depends on where Bubba qualifies. I think Chastain, I think they gotta take the points. But really, you just want to just try to outdo the 22.”

Kevin Harvick paints a rough picture for those drivers. But never say never.

Kevin Harvick picks Roval race winner

While the NASCAR Playoffs can get wild and wacky at the Roval, there is always the looming giant of Shane van Gisbergen to worry about. No, this isn’t a completely normal road course, but SVG might go on to dominate anyway.

Despite SVG being the favorite, Kevin Harvick didn’t pick him to win the race. Instead, Harvick went with the driver who won the first road course race of the season, Christopher Bell. COTA compared to every other road course race this season was like a different world. SVG was never really a threat. It came down to Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Bell. Bell won out.

Christopher Bell has four straight top-10 finishes. In that time, he has a win and is coming off of a P3 finish at Kansas. His average finish in the last four races is 4.25. So, if we’re talking momentum, Bell has it right now. This is the time of the season when he went ballistic last year with six straight top-10s going into Martinsville. Then there was that controversy.

Kevin Harvick is sticking with Bell. Who do you have winning the race at the Roval?