Kevin Harvick Bets on William Byron to Win Coke 600

NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick revealed his pick to win the Coca Cola 600 this year.

Kevin Harvick Bets on William Byron to Win Coke 600

Kevin Harvick and William Byron (Via IMAGO)

The Coca Cola 600 is one of the biggest races on the NASCAR calendar. This iconic round is a favorite for fans and drivers alike. The race which takes place on Memorial Day, the same weekend as the Indy 500. Now, NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick has named his pick for the winner of Coke 600 this year.

Harvick, who has previously won the iconic round twice, in 2011 and 2013 will not be present in the broadcasting booth this time around. Nevertheless, the 49-year-old will be eagerly watching the race as always. Kevin Harvick reckoned that for the 600-mile long race, William Byron would emerge as the likely winner.

600 miles. That’s a long ways. I’m going to go with William Byron.

Kevin Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast

Byron is no stranger to fighting at the front of the field in the Cup Series. The HMS star has won the Daytona 500 on two occasions already, but never got close to Victory Lane at the Coke 600. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old might have the edge this time around in the No. 24 Chevrolet car.

Though, Kevin Harvick’s co-host Kaitlyn Vincie had a different driver in mind. She insisted that it would be Joey Logano who takes the win at the Coca Cola 600 this year. Logano will be looking to bounce back on Memorial Day following a frustrating outing in the All-Star Race, where he lost the win in the final stage of the race.

I’m going with [Joey] Logano. He strikes me as a driver that could — him and that team, they have what it takes, I think, to win that race. He’s already mad after what happened last week [at the All-Star Race].

Kaitlyn Vincie replied.

Kevin Harvick recalls ‘long nights’ at Coke 600

Harvick, as one of the biggest names in the sport’s recent history, is often giving some advice to the newbies in the field. The former No. 4 driver knows every race inside out, including the 600. Hence, before NASCAR heads for the Coca Cola 600, Kevin Harvick opened up over his old strategies.

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick (Via @KevinHarvick/X)

The 49-year-old had one simple approach, to stay on the lead lap when it got dark. The 600 miles long race transitions from day to night. By the time drivers reach nightfall and the track gets dark, they’ve already made a few pitstops. Moreover, at this point, most of the early race carnage is also over, giving a clean road ahead.

My goal was always just to be on the lead lap when it got dark. And if you’re on the lead lap by the time it got dark, it just always has a lot of mistakes in the beginning of the race. You have already made several pit stops before it gets dark. Usually a lot of people spin out and crash at the beginning of the race. There’s always seems to be some sort of drama at the beginning of this race.

Kevin Harvick explained.

Kevin Harvick confessed that things would get really tiring not only for him, but even his spotter and crew. The entire team would face a long night during the race as they tried to complete the uphill task of 600 miles race distance.

It’s a long day for the spotter, driver, crew. So, that last 100 miles is hard to program your brain for. It is tough to say, ‘Oh, man. We got to 500 miles and I still have to go another hundred.’ So, it is a long night.

Kevin Harvick added.

Certainly, the Coca Cola 600 remains an exhausting affair for drivers. However, this is what makes it even more exciting for fans as every single driver pushes themselves to the limit. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see whether Kevin Harvick’s prediction for this year’s race comes true.

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