Kevin Harvick 2019 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
Kevin Harvick
Points Finish 3rd, 8 Wins, 23 Top Fives, 29 Top Ten, 31 Top Twenties, 8.8 Average Finish, 8.2 Average Running Position, 1,990 Laps Led, 115.51 Driver Rating
Strengths:
Kevin Harvick is a “complete” driver who’s capable of winning on any given Sunday. On a yearly basis he ranks as one of the best drivers on every track type. In 2019 I would look for Harvick to be at his very best at intermediate tracks, flat tracks, Richmond and Sonoma.
Weaknesses:
Kevin Harvick doesn’t really have any weaknesses. Bad luck can trip him up at plate tracks but that’s really about it.
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – A
When the series visits intermediate tracks, Kevin Harvick is the man to beat. In 2019 I don’t expect that to change. In NASCAR, “The More things change, the more they stay the same.” A new rules package will make these venues race vastly different, but I’m confident the #4 team will be unphased. When a similar rules package was used in the All-Star Race in 2018, he raced his way to victory lane.
Last year at intermediate tracks nobody was better than Harvick. He scored the most points, won the most races (6), finished in the top five 71% of the time and in the top ten 76% percent of the time. Essentially the only time he didn’t finish in the top ten he had major trouble. In 2017 on this track type he scored the 3rd most points, in 2016 he scored the most points. Since 2011 at intermediate tracks he’s ranked in the top 6 every season in terms of points accumulated.
In 2019 on this track type look for Harvick to win a couple of races and compete for a top five on a weekly basis.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – A
Kevin Harvick is a strong performer at flat tracks who ranks among the best. At both the bigger and the smaller flat tracks he should be near the top of your fantasy NASCAR radar.
Last year on this track type over the eight combined races he won twice, had a 3.3 average finish, a 6.0 average running position and finished in the top five every race.
Last year at the smaller flat tracks he had a 2.8 average finish and a 5.2 average running position.
Last year at the bigger flat tracks he didn’t win any races, but he did score the most points and have a 4.0 average finish.
Short Track Fantasy Value – A
Kevin Harvick is a strong short track driver who you can count on to always finish up front. Last year at short tracks over the six combined races he finished in the top five 50% percent of the time and was the only driver who finished in the top ten every race. Additionally over the combined events he had a 6.5 average finish and an 8.5 average running position.
Richmond is Kevin Harvick’s best short track. He swept the top five last year and in 7 of the last 9 races he’s finished in the top five. Last year he finished runner-up in the fall and 5th in the spring. In 2019 I would look for him to be a top five contender.
Bristol has also been a great venue for him and he currently has a series best 7 straight top tens. Over that stretch he has the best driver rating and the best average finish (5.4). Last year he finished 10th in the summer and 7th in the spring.
At Martinsville I just view him as a top ten contender and currently his top ten streak stands at three. Last fall he finished 10th, in the two previous races he had back to back 5th’s.
Plate Track Fantasy Value – A-
Kevin Harvick is a strong plate racer, but the results aren’t there. In terms of talent, equipment and teammates he’s without a doubt positioned to be one of the best in 2019, he just needs to avoid trouble which is no small task.
Last year at Talladega he had a great season. In the spring he started on the pole and finished 4th. In the fall he led 46 laps and was poised to finish in the top five until a late caution came out. That put him in a bad fuel situation and led to his 28th place finish.
Daytona has been a consistent trouble spot on the schedule for him. Over the last five races he’s finished 19th or worse and has four DNF’s. Last year he wrecked in both races. In the summer he ran well but finished 19th after wrecking late and in the Daytona 500 he looked poised to compete for a top five but wrecked and finished 31st. In the three races prior to that he had results of 33rd, 22nd and 39th.
Road Course Fantasy Value – A
Kevin Harvick is a strong road course racer who’ll be tough to beat at road courses in 2019. At all three venues I think he’s capable of competing for a win.
His best road course without question is Sonoma. Over the last three races at that west coast track his average finish is 3.25. Last year he led 35 laps and finished 2nd. In 2017 he led 24 laps and raced his way to victory lane. In the two races prior to that he had results of 6th and 4th. His primary strength at Sonoma has been being good over long runs.
At Watkins Glen he’s been solid. He’s a former winner who’s finished in the top ten 50% percent of the time. Last year he finished 10th. In 2017 I thought he was top ten good but he had a pit road incident that led to his misleading 17th place finish. In 2016 he had a strong car and was also likely top ten good, but poor pit strategy and then a late accident led to his 32nd place finish. In the two races prior to that he had results of 3rd and 7th.
Last year when the Charlotte Road Course made its debut I don’t think he raced with a tremendous amount of effort (Playoff implications in the round cutoff race) and when the checkered flag waved he finished 9th after a tremendous amount of attrition.
