Kevin Harvick defends his dominance with Warriors-Cavs analogy
To say that Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have controlled the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season so far would be an understatement.
Through 15 races, the two veteran drivers combine for nine wins -- Harvick with five and Busch with four -- as each of them have had stretches of three consecutive victories.
Sure, defending Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer have two wins apiece. But there have only been six winners this season, and that's in large part because Harvick's and Busch's skill and speed in the No. 4 Ford and No. 18 Toyota, respectively, often make them impossible to catch.
Harvick has 11 top-5 finishes, while Busch has 10, and they each have 12 top-10s. Together, they've led 40 percent of the laps so far this season, and in three races, when one was victorious, the other was the runner-up.
But is it bad news for a sport already struggling with TV ratings to have two drivers so often in command?
"You tell me -- is it bad that the Warriors and the Cavaliers have gone to the (NBA) finals in the last four years and played each other?" Harvick told For The Win on Friday while promoting the Mobil 1 Annual Protection 20K Road Trip.
"There are going to be periods of time that people dominate things, and it happens in all sports," he continued. "You look at the Warriors and look at the Cavaliers. They have great players. Well, let me rephrase that: The Warriors have great players, the Cavs have LeBron.
"But those guys are dominant at what they do, and they’re at the top of their game. And they build things around them to dominate the sport, and those are the same types of things that happen here."
One team is going to offer someone a better deal than what's in place, and that person is going to leave, Harvick explained. From the shop to the pit crews, Harvick's and Busch's teams are basically the NASCAR equivalent of NBA super teams.
Experience helps too. As NASCAR rotates out retiring drivers for younger ones, longtime veterans like Harvick and Busch capitalize. Harivck is in his 18th full-time Cup Series season while Busch is in his 14th. They each also have a championship on their resumes.
Harvick doesn't see why his dominance could be bad for the sport, especially since this isn't the first time it's happened.
"You can look at it from both sides of the fence," Harvick said. "I’ve done this for going on 18 years, and it doesn’t always go like this. I’ve seen (seven-time champion) Jimmie Johnson dominate for a number of years. You saw (four-time champion) Jeff Gordon dominate for a number of years. So it’s not something that’s new."
And it might not change soon. NASCAR is at Sonoma Raceway this weekend for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Bet you can guess who the last two winners among active drivers are.
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