Kevin Harvick previews NASCAR Playoffs Round of 16 and makes championship prediction

The regular season is officially behind us. The playoffs are about to start. So I want to talk a little bit about the teams who made it. Do we feel the right teams made the cut? Because I personally feel Bubba Wallace should be there. It's unfortunate kind of how what you guys just explained. I think when you look at the you know, look at all this with the emphasis that is put on winning. I mean, these guys all went out to win. And when you look at at Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex, who had the most points, I mean, they they put together the best 26 races from a point standpoint. And I think, you know, looking at the cars that are running good right now, you know, that are better than some of those cars that made it, they didn't win. Right and, you know, as much as we talk about points and today we're just going to talk about the system. And if you don't win, you put yourself in a vulnerable position to not make the playoffs. I've been on both sides of that. And and that's what, you know, Chris buescher, he knew it at the first Darlington he knew how important winning that race was at Darlington that day. And he knew leaving there that he was missing an opportunity. You go back and you look at Kyle Busch, started at the Daytona 500, had an opportunity in position to win, gets taken out. We go to Vegas, pit crew just fumbles all over the place three times and he's out. And you know, there's we could go and name 4 or 5 other guys that that probably were in position to to do that. You look at Martin Truex, you know he hung on by the by the skin of his teeth and but think about how many races he was in contention to win Ty Gibbs same thing. But instead, you know, now you're now you're in the position that you're in almost missing. So we're seeing the points now. Obviously, the reset and the biggest thing that catches my eye is how tight it already is. Yeah, I mean, it is exciting because that's what we want to see, right? Yeah I mean, that's what we want. I mean, and so. So let's, let's look at this. Right Larson is 35 up and then was reddick reddick is 23 up and he won the regular season points. Right that's why when I said what I said on the show, I think last week about we got 15 points for that, right? He got 15 points. 12 and I said on the show last week, I wouldn't mind if that if you got round by rounds because everyone was like, well, a lot of people on social are like, well, 15 points. That's so much. Does that look like so much to you on that on that we got Atlanta round one like that can be gone in an instant so you're not promised the next round just because you win that and this just shows how close these guys are and how great the racing is. And when you look at those points and you look at Kyle Larson's total, he missed a whole race. Right, right. But it also shows how fast and dominant they've been in a lot of places this year throughout the 26 races throughout the regular season. So those 35 points are sure he got you know, he got he got the 12 points for for the regular season championship payout, you know, for points. But think about how many stages he won, how many laps he led, how many races he won that that also has that body of work in in these in these point standings that that reflect not only your regular season standings but how your car has been in all these stages and the points that you've accumulated throughout the year. So it's a very interesting system. But I think when you look at the points and how tight they are, this is a different this is a different start to the playoff. It's never been like this, never been never. The points have been like this. They haven't ever gone to Atlanta at 3:00 in the afternoon. Yeah, it's going to be 80 degrees and you're going to be super speedway racing knowing that you got to hold that thing down as that pedal down as much as you can to go fast. And, you know, I think we're going to see a wild card race like we haven't seen before. And this is not your talladega or Daytona that we're going different. You got to have so maneuverability. Let's talk about the complexion of this round a minute because you just referenced it Atlanta's first. Then we go to Watkins glen, then Bristol, three very different racetracks. So what what do you think we're going to see just from this first crop? My approach has always been this. Let's go to the first one and see how we are. OK see, when you go out of the when you get done with the first race and I think going to Atlanta, I think you have to be aggressive. You've got to you've got to put yourself in a position to where you have track position, race at the front of the pack. If you have that opportunity, if your car is crap and it's not handling good or you have something wrong, then you got to go into a little bit of defense mode and and be smart about who you're around, what you're doing. OK, we're slow. So let's concentrate on handling. Let's concentrate on whatever we need to be from a track position standpoint. If our car is too slow and we've got too much downforce in the car because that's really the trick at Atlanta and I don't think you want to get too far ahead of yourself. OK you know, for from having an ultimatum plan, because I think it changes. I think you have to be able to adapt to what happens one week and go to the next week to to know how you need to race. You know, we heard we heard busher talk about, well, you got to you got to know. We don't care about anything but winning. Well, that's fine. But there are multiple ways to to survive these these first round of playoffs. And I think the second round and the third round are a little bit different from what you need to do. But this first round you can survive off of off of just being smart. I have a couple questions I want to pose to you guys now that we're at the start of the playoffs. First one being who do you believe will be the teams that are eliminated first? I saved it on my phone. OK Yeah are you ready? Kevin can go first. This is coming. Yeah yeah. Are you ready? Yeah, go ahead. You go first. Do you need to look at the points? Just want to know. You went away. You know. Went away? Do you know? Yeah yeah, go ahead. Well, I think. I think Harrison Burton's out. Yeah, I think that, you know, they did a fabulous job of getting themselves in position, but. You still have this this Atlanta factor that that goes with this. Right we saw a three wide finish with Kyle Busch was in that in that finish. Right that that changed Daniel Suarez's season. So I think that I think that I think that it's Suarez out Harrison Burton's out. I think you're going to have a surprise. I think Alex bowman is out and. N/A Who else? I'm going to Austin. Cindric Burton. Briscoe, Suarez. As much as I want Briscoe to continue the momentum, and he. He may well do that, but those are probably mine. I think, yeah, I think I got. Hb unless he wins at Atlanta, which you fords have been so fast at Atlanta, they almost have sat on the pole every time we go there with this configuration, I think Daniel Suarez the 99 just hasn't really had the speed, but maybe since they're the only car in, they'll get some help boost and he's good on a road course you know looking at it I think cindric they make a lot of mistakes the two does like like take away the speed part the execution of not getting penalties. Daytona yeah, they just end up having a lot of mistakes. So I think that might bite them and MTJ man, like, no, you're not going to do it well either him or Ty yeah. You think you think it's going to be him or ty? Yeah, because like, they have a struggle with finishing the races where they're running. It seems like he's pretty good at some of these tracks. Yeah, he's good. He's good at him. Like like I wouldn't put it past him to win one, but like, if I'm just looking at from what the year has been, they're in position in position. Something happens to the end, like backing your way into the playoffs. That's not great. Yeah, Ty did a great job all day, but he got in a wreck too. Like those things happen to them a lot. You can't do it. I want Martin to advance. I know. And I think that a lot of this is going to come down to what happens at Atlanta. OK for for those two guys. I think a lot of this for Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex, a lot of a lot of this is going to come down to whether they finish Atlanta or not. OK so big premium on the Atlanta race is what is going to have to be aggressive. Yeah, Atlanta and not make a mistake on lap three looking at this real quick too. Sorry it's OK if you if other than outside of like Hamlin and then I'd put the 14 in this too because the 14 has nothing to lose. So I feel like they're just going to throw everything at it. But those other guys have been fast enough to win week in and week out so they can race a little bit differently. OK so that's the negative side. Now, who is our early championship pick? Because this is the I'm sticking to my guns. Denny Hamlin that's right. We already knew yours, he called it. And where were we at that you said that? I just. I don't know. Driver 11 OK. Driver 11 I'm driver five I feel like they have we're going back to back championships, baby. We ain't seen it. OK, so we have three different picks. All right, so you're going 11. I'm going. Kyle Larson and you're going the 12. OK, there you have it. That's you want you guys want to elaborate at all on your picks or that's I just think that there's you know, I think when when Denny looks at the way that they've run this year, the way that they ran at Phoenix, he's got to know that he's running out of shots. And I think when when he sees that regular season trophy sitting in in the shop at at at 2311, I just got to believe that there's some sort of motivation there at and I think when when he and gabehart look at at all the things that they have accomplished and been together and can do, I just I think that that experience of of being able to have been there before, I just think that eventually it's got to happen. Yeah I would say for Kyle Larson and company they're are ones that have been there before and been able to get it done there. Leading in a bunch of categories right now. Lots of momentum going into the postseason. It's just hard to count out Kyle Larson, you know, he's going to do whatever it takes. Along with his crew chief, the pit crew was on fire yesterday, I might add. So I don't know. I'm going tell us going tell us why you guys have a 12 is going to win. I'm super excited to hear you have a lot of good reasoning, both of you, as to why. I mean, here's is kind of like, well, he just has to win because he has to win because he's been there or whatever. Yours makes sense because I mean, Larson has won a championship already, at least. But listen, what have you done for me lately? And lately the 12 has been there. And he did it. He won the championship last the last time when they went to Phoenix, the last two years in the championship round, he finished. He either he finished second in both times, right? It's like, man, he's got you said it. You just said it. What has he done for me lately? What are you, a championship? Yeah, but what has he done for you lately? The season over. That's old news. It's old news. Well, that's how we got to this point. We're getting started. We're getting started by wrecking on lap five. Well, no tricks wrecked on lap five. We just happened. Either way, you're in it. We just happen to be there. It's all about the old Mo at this point, if I've got to have them. They've been fast. They've been really fast. I'm worried about anyone. I am worried about Kyle Larson in the five. Yeah, the five has been dominant. No, I am worried if I'm the. That's who I think you're racing against. I see. I see. I think the 12 is going to win, but that's who I feel like there, you know. And the other thing is, I thought at moments outside of this this whole conversation, at moments that 24 car I know moments. Had moments where he had the speed. Yeah, but I'm telling you. Somebody like that, like, you know, that hasn't had that momentum like William Byron has had going into the playoffs. Somebody who hasn't had it has a bad run at Atlanta. It'll be lights out. I cannot wait for it. It'll be lights out for for somebody like for for somebody like that. N/A