Kevin Harvick discussed the factors that determine answers in the ongoing debate about the best racer across different generations. The comparison of athletes from different eras always leads to heated arguments in all sports, including racing. Recently, the 2014 NASCAR Cup series champion initiated such a debate. During an exclusive segment of his Happy Hour Podcast, he asked a driver from Joe Gibbs Racing to choose the superior racer between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott.
The drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing wasted no time in selecting the 2020 Cup champion, Chase Elliott, as the better racer of the two. This decision was made despite Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s status as a Hall of Famer and a two-time Xfinity Series champion. However, Kevin Harvick, in a recent episode of the Happy Hour podcast, expressed his disagreement with the Toyota drivers.
Harvick explained that his choice would be Dale Earnhardt Jr. because he grew up racing against him and witnessed his victories in different generations of cars. He also mentioned that his decision might have been influenced by the fact that he joined the Cup Series as a replacement for Dale Earnhardt after the tragic 2001 Daytona 500 incident. Harvick emphasized that people’s biases towards recent events and the generation they belong to play a significant role in these debates. He admitted that his experience racing against Junior for over 15 years influenced his choice, whereas his experience with Elliott is not even half of that.
Both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, also raced against Dale Earnhardt Jr. for over a decade. However, since Earnhardt Jr.’s retirement over five years ago and seeing Elliott achieve more success, their decision was influenced by recency bias. Currently, it may seem reasonable to side with Harvick, but if Elliott continues his career at Hendrick Motorsports, he has the potential to surpass Junior’s achievements and end up in a better position.
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