Despite top-10 finishes, two former Cup champions weren’t too pleased following the Gander RV 400 at Dover International Speedway. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick didn’t mince words when asked about the 2019 aerodynamic NASCAR rules package following Monday afternoon’s 400-lapper from Delaware.
“The package sucks,” Busch said following his record-tying 11th consecutive top-10 finish. “No (expletive) question about it. It’s terrible. All I can do is bitch about it and fall on deaf ears and we’ll come back with the same thing in the fall.”
“The package sucks. No fucking question about it. It’s terrible. All I can do is bitch about it and fall on deaf ears and we’ll come back with the same thing it in the fall.” @KyleBusch on the package today at @MonsterMile. #NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (el-bee-no) (@DustinAlbino) May 6, 2019
The No. 18 hit the wall in stage two and was prepared to have his day go downhill in a hurry. Post-race, when asked how the damage affected the car’s handling, he gave it an eight out of 10.
Harvick’s fourth-place run, meanwhile, tied his best finish of the season. Running as high as second throughout the course of the afternoon, the No. 4 was back where most are accustomed to seeing it.
But the 2014 champion shared Busch’s sentiments regarding the NASCAR rules package, albeit in a bit of a nicer, non-profane way.
“Here’s the hard thing about the package,” Harvick said. “I think that NASCAR’s tried to accomplish a lot of things with one particular package, but you look at how the cars drive behind each other and from a driver’s standpoint, it’s hard to race them. Anywhere.”
.@KevinHarvick post-race (P4) ??
"Here's the hard thing about the package. I think that NASCAR's tried to accomplish a lot of things with one particular package, but you look at how the cars drive behind each other & from a driver's standpoint, it's hard to race them. Anywhere."
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) May 6, 2019
Busch and Harvick will hope to slice and dice their way through the field next weekend at Kansas Speedway. The driver of the No. 18 has one career win (2016) at Kansas, with Harvick claiming three checkered flags at the 1.5-mile track, the last of which came last season.