Kevin Harvick was one driver in the NASCAR Cup Series who was not on board with the idea of the sport going racing in wet or even remotely damp conditions. Things have changed since then as his son Keelan is being taught to race in the wet from a very young age. Harvick himself has also come around to the idea, especially after the Cup Series race at Loudon.
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For the first time in its history, NASCAR experimented with rain tires on a damp oval at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday. While they were extra-cautious with the non-competitive pit stops, the experiment was considered a success. Drivers, fans, and insiders were all happy with what they experienced, including the 2014 Cup Series champion.
“There’s definitely a lot that you can do in the rain that you wouldn’t do in the dry,” he said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast . “The rain tires were so good, they actually have more grip and they were way better than I thought they were gonna be.”
History made. 😎🙌#USATODAY301 | @USATODAY pic.twitter.com/5qe0mBp4w0
— New Hampshire Motor Speedway (@NHMS) June 24, 2024
‘The Closer’ had Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart in the hot seat for another one of his interviews. The veteran crew chief was also a fan of the wet weather racing and NASCAR’s safety measures.
Denny Hamlin’s crew chief hails NASCAR’s wet weather safety measures
There has been some debate among motorsports insiders about NASCAR’s non-competitive pit stops at NHMS. Hamlin said he believes that pit road should have been dried before the race got going again. However, his crew chief was on NASCAR’s side on this one, stating that safety took paramount importance in a situation like that of last Sunday’s.
“Racing in the wet on an oval is unprecedented,” Gabehart said. “If you make one critical mistake, get somebody hurt, it could put a really bad taste in your mouth whether it be a driver or a crew member so I applaud being extra cautious.”
It was always going to be challenging for NASCAR to make sure racing ovals in the wet is safe for everyone involved. Thankfully, they did that at Loudon without the quality of racing being compromised. Things can only get better from here.
