Kevin Harvick Wins NASCAR Sprint Unlimited

Kevin Harvick won NASCAR’s season opening exhibition Sprint Unlimited race for the third time in his career.

For anyone who watches NASCAR for the crashes, there was one early. The big wreck took out six drivers. The rest of the race was accident free.

As the race came to an end, Kevin Harvick’s only real threat came from Greg Biffle on the final lap. Harvick blocked the charging racer though and cruised to victory lane.

The 2013 Sprint Unlimited was unlike any NASCAR race that came before. According to USA Today, fans voted on the structure of the race, along with a no elimination rule. The race was competed in three segments. The first segment had 30 laps, the second had 25 laps, and the third had 20 laps.

Kevin Harvick took control during the second segment, and the rest was history.

The Sprint Unlimited was historic for another reason. This season NASCAR introduced new Gen Six cars. Before the race the cars went through two test sessions, each time experiencing a wreck. No one knew quite what to expect entering competition.

For Kevin Harvick, and the rest of the field, the new cars held sturdy. There was the early wreck on lap 15, but nothing after.

About holding off Greg Biffle and winning the Sprint Unlimited Harvick says:

“It’s about making these race cars as fast as they can go.”

Next up for Kevin Harvick is the Daytona 500, one of racing’s most legendary events.

What do you think? Is Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Sprint Unlimited win a sign of great things to come this season?