Harvick Calls For Elimination Of Clash At Daytona
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| Kevin Harvick |
With the grandstands empty and TV ratings low Kevin Harvick believes Sunday’s crash-marred, rain-plagued Clash should be the last edition of the exhibition race that kicks off the Cup season at Daytona International Speedway.
During his weekly “Happy Hours" program Monday on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s NASCAR Channel, the 2014 series champion laid out his vision how NASCAR could change the event.
“The Clash is one of those things that I think we could probably eliminate as we go forward and look at the new schedule," the driver of the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing said. “The reason I say that is you’re trying to bring a lot of guys into the race.
“Originally when The Clash was brought about, it was about the pole winners and past winners of that particular race. They had a lot of guys that weren’t pole winners. And you have guys in the playoffs that were in the race."
Additionally, Harvick pointed out the cost of more than 20 crashed race cars as another reason to ax the Clash after this year’s running.
In addition to the race-ending 17-car crash on Sunday, four more cars were involved in a crash on the backstretch during Clash practice on Saturday.
“As we talk about money and saving team owners money, Joe Gibbs wrecked five cars," said Harvick, who crashed in Clash practice and then again at the end of the race. “Three hundred thousand dollars per car adds up pretty quick."
Johnson topped Sunday’s Clash after contact between he and Paul Menard in a battle for the lead resulted in the multi-car crash that collected most of the field in turn three.