Harvick: Daytona poleman Bowman's NASCAR Duel strategy a waste of time
Daytona 500 pole winner Alex Bowman's strategy in the NASCAR Cup series' Duel races was a "complete waste of time", says Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick


After securing pole position in last weekend's qualifying sessions, Bowman opted to drop from pole to the rear of the grid in the Thursday night's opening Duel race that helps set the remainder of the grid.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished the Duel in 14th place after a cautious run that prevented him experiencing draft running.
Harvick said Bowman's strategy cost him crucial experience that could help him in Sunday's race.
"Alex Bowman didn't learn anything today, in my opinion," said Harvick, who finished runner-up to Chase Elliott in the second qualifying race.
"Riding around starting on the pole is great, but not knowing what your car is going to do is a complete waste of time, in my opinion."
Harvick also added that Bowman's strategy goes against NASCAR's attempts to re-energise the racing.
The stage format was implemented for the 2017 season partly to prevent dead rubber scenarios.
"Everybody knows that you have to go into these qualifying races and race, in my opinion, because if you finish outside of the top 10, you gave up 10 points to the guy who won already," said Harvick.
"That hole keeps getting bigger. That's what the new points system and stage racing has done. That's the way we should race.
"That's the way we've raced from the beginning, late model cars and short races."
Bowman defended his approach as part of Hendrick's strategy for the 500.
"I think we showed our hand, we were pretty trimmed out," he said.
"We came down here to sit on the pole and we wanted to be the Camaro ZL1 first's pole and we achieved that.
"But we weren't going to tear it up tonight for sure."
Asked if he was concerned he spent little time drafting, Bowman said: "No, because we ran some really fast lap times and our car drove OK.
"I really thought it was going to drive worse than it did.
"We have an entirely different set-up that we can just make it drive better for the 500.
"We will see what final practice is and how it goes. I think we can draft a little bit there, but I think we will be fine."

Daytona 500: Eight NASCAR Cup drivers will go to back of grid
Daytona 500: Childress' Dillon wins after last-lap Almirola clash

Latest news
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes