Kevin Harvick: "#3 just turned us"

Days of Thunder smoke cloud following Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon contact at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick spun off the front bumper of Austin Dillon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on the final lap of stage 2. Harvick then stepped on the gas, mid loop.

Watch the videos of the Days of Thunder smoke cloud at New Hampshire below.

He was attempting to avoid the inside wall. It worked. Unfortunately, he also filled the air with a smoke cloud at the same time he came back across the race track.

Kurt Busch piled into the scene first, he made contact with Kevin harvick. Many others came into the scene and were collected.

New Hampshire smoke cloud - Kevin Harvick — New Hampshire smoke cloud – Kevin Harvick

Dale Earnhardt Jr and Martin Truex Jr both avoided it. They spun, on the brakes to the inside. However, as both drives went to straighten their cars out and pull away, they backed into each other. Damage to both left rear quarter panels.

Kyle Busch along with Matt Kenseth were one of the few who made it through. He was hard on the brakes, but found a small hole against the outside wall between the front bumper of Kevin harvick.

Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon have a history. They’ve made contact on track, multiple times, across multiple series. Kevin Harvick has been quoted calling Austin Dillon a “Silver spoon child” and has stated the Dillon boys are the reason he left RCR.

Kevin Harvick was fighting for 14th position. He broke the reverse gear while trying to back away from the scene. That resulted in Kevin Harvick’s first ever DNF at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Read comments from the drivers below.

Days of Thunder Smoke cloud in NASCAR race at New Hampshire

Driver comment on Days of Thunder smoke at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Kevin Harvick: “You know, I don’t know. As I got sideways there, I tried to get the thing woahed down and pointed in the right direction. It snapped back the other way.”

“I tried to lock it down but I was too far up across the race track. I knew I was probably worse off at that particular point. Once it turned back right, I was in trouble. I should have just tried to keep it left. But, I couldn’t really tell where I was with all the smoke and everything that was happening.”

“Just got hit from behind and spun out.”

“3 just turned us,” Kevin Harvick later told PRN.

Kurt Busch: “Wow. No. I mean, I don’t know what to say. It’s tough when you’re running where we were, just trying to limp it to stage 2 [finish].”

“I heard, ‘Car spinning’ in my ear. I saw smoke up ahead. I a lot of times they’ll come back up. I was trying to leave high side or low side. Then boom.”

“As soon as the smoke cleared I’m looking at Harvick’s door. I mean, my teammate. We’re running for playoff’s, both of us. It’s just a shame that the handling’s off and we’re both running where we were.”

“We we’re still going to fight all the way to the end but no we don’t have a chance. I cannot understand the bad luck there we’re having.”

Kyle Busch: “Whew. By an inch.”

“I have no idea. That was pretty intense. That was some Days of Thunder stuff over there. You couldn’t see anything. I mean, it was just a wall of smoke off of turn 2.”

“I was listening to the spotter. I was told to stop. I was like, ‘Sounds like a good idea.’ Just checked up as much as I could. I was trying not to get run into from behind. I didn’t know who was coming behind me. I know Matt was there.”

Martin Truex Jr and Dale Earnhardt Jr back into each other

Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I came up on all that smoke off of turn 2. You really couldn’t see anything through all that. It was just a big old cloud of smoke. It reminded me of Days of Thunder.”

“I didn’t make it through it. I had the brakes turned to the rear. Trying to cool the [front] brkaes. So, when I hit the brakes it just came around.”