NASCAR Finds Kevin Harvick Innocent After Race-Ending Crash

Auto-racing organization NASCAR has found no clear evidence in the crash that happened during Sunday’s Talladega Superspeedway race involving racer Kevin Harvick. Four different racers have accused Harvick of intentionally starting the crash so that he would not lose his current spot in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff race.

The No. 4 car was experiencing engine problems during the green-white checkered flag lap before the race started. From video feeds and downloadable data from transmissions obtained by NASCAR officials, it looks like Harvick was trying to move to the right to get out of the way but accidentally hit Trevor Bayne on the restart causing a pile-up. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin and David Gilliland all have come forward in stating that Harvick’s actions were on purpose, while Harvick has stuck to his claim that he was trying to get out of the way. “Look, I’ve thought about this a lot, as you listen to what other people say,” Harvick said at a press conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte. “Obviously, we were in a unique position with the caution still out and the way that things all shook out. They can look at 100 different ways, but I can’t quit, you know? You can’t just roll over and be done with it and say, ‘Well, we tried our best.’ Because you didn’t. I quit once in my life and I’ll never quit again.”

With this race officially ended, Harvick moves on to the next round of the Chase that will begin on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

Photo: TALLADEGA, AL – OCTOBER 25: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, is introduced prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 25, 2015 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)