Kevin Harvick: Pressure on Hendrick after Kyle Larson 'fumbled the bag' in 2024 vs. Penske

Kevin Harvick believes the pressure is on Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson in 2025, after the No. 5 team came up short of their second NASCAR Cup Series title last season.

While Larson was the top wheelman throughout the 2024 crusade, winning six races, he fell short of the Championship 4, and his teammate William Byron had nothing for Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Team Penske when it came time for the season finale at Phoenix. Harvick believes that’ll be a motivating factor for Hendrick in 2025, and they’re going to come out with their hair on fire from the jump.

“I think Hendrick’s going to come out strong,” Harvick stated, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “I think the unique part about the Hendrick group is, can they find that extra speed the second half of the year, and not just maintain what they have the first part of the year? Because last year, we had the Fords really make up a huge competitive disadvantage, or not disadvantage — they were just off. They were slow, and they had a new car.

“So, the interesting part about this year is, we haven’t had a year like this, where we haven’t had much change, in a long time. I think, as you go into this season, and you see as little change as we have, with everybody having pretty much the same cars. … Penske has won the Cup championship the last three years with this Next Gen car. Can anybody beat them at Phoenix? That’s going to be the tough part.

“Penske has been the dominant team at Phoenix with this Next Gen car. So, I think Hendrick will come out strong again, [but] can they finish the year winning that championship with the right speed at Phoenix is going to be the question.”

Speed is one thing, but mistakes are another. That’s what Harvick believes separated Larson from a championship in 2024, and it’s something the retired wheelman is hoping to see fixed from the No. 5 team in 2025.

“When I look at Kyle Larson, they fumbled the bag pretty bad there,” Harvick added. “As we got towards the final round of the playoffs, with a couple of mistakes in that penultimate round. So, I think — when you look at the No. 22 car, they’re just so buttoned up. They didn’t make any mistakes. They capitalized on the moments.

“That’s, a lot of times, what you have to do, is capitalize on the moment. When other people are making mistakes or have a moment that happens, you have to be able to capitalize in those moments, when it counts.”

Kyle Larson had an incredible season in 2024, but he’ll be on a mission to end 2025 with a Cup Series title in 2025. He’s already considered among the best to ever step foot in the sport, and it’ll be up to the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman to prove it once again this time around.