Kevin Harvick is ready for the NASCAR Cup Series to continue the Round of 16 in Madison, Illinois this weekend. After an exciting trip to Darlington Raceway, World Wide Technology Raceway will take the reins for the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Last season, Austin Cindric was victorious in the race, although it wasn’t in the playoffs. He’ll be hoping to repeat and clinch his spot in the Round of 12, similar to Chase Briscoe, who did just that in South Carolina this past weekend.
Before all the fun gets underway, Harvick and his crew on the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast made some predictions. Evidently, the former NASCAR Cup Series champion believes in another: “I’m going to go with old faithful — Ryan Blaney,” Harvick stated.
Mamba Smith usually tries to be a bit different, but even he couldn’t deny the opportunity to pick Blaney: “You know what’s crazy? I was going to go with Ryan Blaney, so I’m going to still go with Ryan Blaney,” he responded.
Alas, Blaney was expected to contend for the win at Darlington this past weekend. However, he couldn’t get going after a spin earlier in the race, and that led to his P18 finish.
Moving ahead to this weekend, Blaney’s always fast at Gateway. He finished P24 here last season, but he qualified third and ran out gas while contending for the win late in the race. Aside from that bit of heartbreak, he has two top-six finishes in three tries.
“It was a good day for our cars to run first, fifth and we were there in the top five,” Blaney told NASCAR.com last season, after coming close to winning at Gateway. “Proud of the effort, and I’m proud a Penske car won. I don’t think we were the fastest. Bell seemed like he shot out of a cannon. I don’t know where he came from, so battling him was tough.
“It just sucks we don’t end up with a finish that we deserve. I thought we did a good job all day doing what we needed to do. It’s a kick in the nuts but you move on past it.”
As you can tell, Blaney will be supremely motivated to get a win at a track he feels got away from him in 2024. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn Vincie is rocking with a driver who came close to winning at Darlington, but couldn’t close the deal.
“I’m going to stick by my selection of Tyler Reddick,” Vincie explained. “He was top five at Gateway last year. We’ve been ramping him up. He goes to Victory Lane.”
Time will tell whether it’s Blaney, Reddick or a different wheelman able to get the win in Illinois this weekend. One thing is for sure, it should be a wild race, one filled with plenty of drama for the NASCAR Cup Series with a trip to Bristol on the horizon.
