Kevin Harvick delivers an unfiltered critique on Ryan Preece’s All-Star cone fiasco: “That’s your responsibility”

Kevin Harvick didn’t hold back when giving his take on Ryan Preece’s penalty during the All-Star Open. Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said Preece had no one to blame but himself for crossing over the restart commitment box, calling it a missed opportunity that cost Preece a shot at racing for a $1 million prize.

The penalty happened with 17 laps to go in Sunday’s All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Preece had worked his way up to second place in his No. 60 RFK Racing Ford after a four-tire stop at halfway. But when the field lined up for the restart, officials ruled he failed to choose a lane properly before the commitment box.

NASCAR sent him to the rear of the field for the violation. Preece argued that the zone was hard to see. The commitment box, which tells drivers where they must commit to the inside or outside lane, had been faded by tire rubber from an earlier Modified race. NASCAR responded by having track workers repaint the box after the race.

Kevin Harvick acknowledged Preece’s frustration but said that owning up to the mistake is part of being a professional driver.

"(Ryan) Preece was fired up after the open..." the former Cup Series champion said. "The drivers and their emotions, that's what we want to see… I felt like he had the best car in the Open race, and he was mad and trying to blame it on somebody else. But in the end, I mean that's your responsibility to put that car where it needs to be, and knowing that you also know that you had the best car in the race." (13:43 onwards)

"So you know, you look at Brad (Keselowski) losing the lead there on the restart. That was his only chance, but all these guys know you're there to win, you're there to be in the show, you're there to win, and there's a million dollars on the line, and I love to see the emotion," he added.

Preece started the race from fifth and had been in strong form, gaining seven positions after his pit stop. The penalty dropped him out of contention, and he ended up finishing 11th. He currently sits 15th in the Cup Series standings with 251 points.

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Kevin Harvick reacts to the spat between Joey Logano and Christopher Bell after the All-Star Race

Kevin Harvick also shared his thoughts on the heated moment between Joey Logano and Christopher Bell after the All-Star Race. Logano was upset after losing the lead to Bell in the final laps at North Wilkesboro. He accused Bell of forcing him into the wall and said he would’ve spun him out if he got the chance.

Kevin Harvick explained the incident, saying:

“You see (Christopher Bell) make the move, and Logano block him. To me, when you block, it’s game on at that point. He slid up the heel right there. Joey not happy afterwards. I think if the roles were reversed right there, Joey does the exact same thing to try to win a million dollars.” (12:25 onwards)

Kevin Harvick said he was surprised by how strongly Logano reacted, especially considering how hard both drivers were racing. Logano later admitted it wasn’t as bad as he first thought, but the frustration was still clear right after the race.

Joey Logano led a race-high 139 out of 250 laps and was in control most of the night. But things changed after the Promoter’s Caution on Lap 216. While most of the field pitted for fresh tires, Logano and teammate Ryan Blaney stayed out. That left Logano trying to hold off faster cars on older tires.