Kevin Harvick discloses his winning approach to "long night" at Coke 600

Kevin Harvick recently shed some light on what makes the Coca Cola 600 such a tricky race. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver also shared the right approach a driver can employ to earn a win in one of NASCAR's crown jewels.

Harvick, a two time winner of the Coke 600 (2011 and 2013), claimed that the one thing which makes the race so difficult is that it starts in the day and ends in the night. He mentioned how during the daytime, the weather is hot and that Charlotte Motor Speedway is a racetrack which is 'very weather sensitive.'

Because of this element, Kevin Harvick would approach the race with a clear strategy.

"My goal was always just to be on the lead lap when it got dark. And if you're on the lead lap by the time it got dark, it just always has a lot of mistakes in the beginning of the race. You have already made several pit stops before it gets dark. Usually a lot of people spin out and crash at the beginning of the race. There's always seems to be some sort of drama at the beginning of this race," he described. [32:30]

Harvick said that he's been there when he was lapped before it got dark, and also been there when he was where he needed to be and won.

This is why he suggested drivers need to keep themselves in contenton for the race while knowing it's a long race.

"It's a long day for the spotter, driver, crew. So, that last 100 miles is hard to program your brain for. It is tough to say, 'Oh, man. We got to 500 miles and I still have to go another hundred.' So, it is a long night," Harvick said.

The former #4 driver added that he's seen a lot of mistakes being made on the pit road and in a race where one has to make a lot of pit stops, it also becomes one of the big factors.

Kevin Harvick explains the added incentives of winning a Coke 600 in a nutshell

During the Happy Hour podcast, Katelyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, the co-hosts of the show alongside Kevin Harvick, shared their takes on the Coke 600. Vincie said that the race is a crown jewel of NASCAR, which makes it 'huge'.

Smith claimed that it is one of the top four races which a driver 'definitely' wants on their resume and they also get a ring for winning it. He mentioned how such races mean more to everyone in the shop because of the extra added incentives, which Kevin Harvick put in two words as he said:

"Bling and a bonus." [34:00]

Smith touched on the 'electric' atmosphere at the Charlotte Motor Speedway as the race prepares to commence with fly overs and the rest.

Adding to this, Vincie claimed that no other sport is 'more patriotic than NASCAR', because of which the Coke 600 is a big weekend for the military and all the patriots.