NASCAR: Kevin Harvick wins Brickyard 400 as playoff field is set

This place has been on his mind since his childhood in Bakersfield, California, when he watched hometown hero Rick Mears race in the Indianapolis 500 and ultimately win it four times, and throughout his own 19-year career.

“I didn't win the Indy 500, but I came about as close to it as you probably can,” Harvick said Sunday after dominating the Big Machine Vodka 400 for the second time, ending a 16-year wait.

“It's something that you don't really realize when you're a young kid that is most likely not going to happen. But I'm lucky, and I've been able to live that out and win a couple races here, and it's been fun.”

While Indy has been all about winning since 1911 — since ’94 in NASCAR — the story of Sunday’s Brickyard also involved playoff intrigue and plenty of stops and starts.

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