“Tyler Reddick tried to do something it shouldn't have” - Kevin Harvick’s crew-chief on 45 car slowing down on track at Darlington

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick's appearance in his final NASCAR Cup Series playoffs did not get off to the best of starts. The #4 Ford Mustang driver looked set to be in position to contend for the victory at Darlington Raceway, but a pit road mishap took away his chances of finishing anywhere near the top spots.

Ultimately finishing in P19, Harvick became the innocent bystander to 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick trying to pit as soon as Harvick decided to come in. A late call by the #45 Toyota Camry TRD driver's crew led to Reddick hastily darting into an already tough pit entry, causing Ryan Newman to spin in his wake.

Kevin Harvick was also committed to entering pit road at the same exact moment. However, moments before he made it, the caution flag flew for Newman, closing the pit lane for drivers.

The #4 crew at SHR also serviced Harvick's car when he was not supposed to be in the pits. That earned them a penalty and forced them to start at the tail end of the field.

Kevin Harvick's long-time crew chief Rodney Childers elaborated on the incident in a post-race interview with frontstretch.com:

"It all happened because the #45 (Tyler Reddick) tried to do something it shouldn't have. That part's the more disappointing thing. I also see the reasoning and I also see why he did it and all that. It's part of racing. Hate that it happened, we had a strong car and could've should've."

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Kevin Harvick on the unfortunate penalty at Darlington and what he could've done to avoid it

Kevin Harvick was dealt one of the unluckiest hands during last Sunday's Cook Out Souther 500 and paid the price by finishing in P19. The race could have seen the #4 Ford Mustang driver challenge for a chance to visit Victory Lane. Harvick's entry onto pit road at the wrong time saw him fall back to the tail end of the field.

Elaborating on how he could have reacted from behind the wheel to the chain reaction set off by Tyler Reddick, Harvick told NBC Sports:

"Caution came out and the light was on and I didn’t think I could turn right."

When asked what his strategy would be like going into the remaining two Round of 16 races, Harvick said:

"Just go put the gas pedal down and do the exact same thing we’ve done for 23 years."

Watch Kevin Harvick try and make some moves next weekend at Kansas Speedway.