Who… should you be talking about after the race?
It was easy to wonder whether Kevin Harvick had seen victory lane for the final time. After all, it happens to every driver sometime, and it had been more than 60 races since Harvick, the oldest full-time Cup driver at 46, had enjoyed the fruits of victory last.
But Harvick and Michigan International Speedway have been a magic combination in recent years. He’s won five of the last seven races at the 2-mile oval dating back to 2018 and his six total victories make him the active win leader with double the total of the next drivers on the list.
Harvick didn’t have a dominant car, nor did he take a gamble. He won the way veterans do, putting himself in the best position to capitalize, and when he was able to pass then-leader Ty Gibbs for the lead on the final restart, he didn’t look back, leaving the competition to sort it out in his mirror. The Closer, indeed.
And really, how could he lose? After seeing her older brother, Keelan, get a victory lap with Dad after his last MIS win, daughter Piper asked her father before the race to please win so she could have a ride too. And Dad delivered.
And don’t forget Joey Logano. He’s struggled this summer. Since winning at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, he has just two top 10s and four finishes of 20th or worse. His fourth-place result on Sunday is Logano’s first top five since Gateway.
The Fords in general haven’t been quite in step with the Toyota and Chevrolets for much of 2022, so having three top fives on Sunday was a big positive for the manufacturer. For Logano, it’s some forward momentum as the regular season nears its end.
What… is the buzz about?
Sometimes it’s not even about the racing. On Thursday of race weekend, Kyle Busch and his family were spending some downtime at the Mall of America when a fight turned into a shooting situation in a hurry.
Busch, along with son Brexton and wife Samantha, got out safely (as did everyone; there were no fatalities, fortunately).
The incident highlights the human side of the sport. Busch certainly gets a mixed reaction from fans, but there was support for him and his family on social media after both Samantha posted the update that all was well. Rooting against a driver on the racetrack is one thing, but when push comes to shove, the NASCAR community stood behind one of its own. Some fans might have been happy to see Busch crash out of the race early on Sunday for a 36th-place…
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