Kevin Harvick Declares Kyle Larson Lost the “Speed Advantage” in 2025 Championship Battle

Ex-Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has shared his thoughts on the drop in performance of Kyle Larson in the second half of 2025.

Kevin Harvick Declares Kyle Larson Lost the “Speed Advantage” in 2025 Championship Battle

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)

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Coming into the 2025 season, there were a lot of pressure on Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who is considered the best racer in the current grid, to deliver a championship for the team in the Next-Gen era. He started strong, securing three wins, before experiencing a massive drop in performance. But since Dover two weeks ago, the No:5 team has showed signs of resurgence.

Kyle Larson secured back-to-back top 5 runs last week, with a P2 in the Brickyard 400 being the highlight. But his loss to Bubba Wallace on Sunday, also showed the No:5 team no longer have the pace advantage the had earlier the season. This has gotten the attention of 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, who discussed the situation in the latest episode of his podcast.

I think that they’re back on track. I think that it’s a lot like we saw last year. I don’t think they have the speed advantage like we saw at the beginning the year last year, or the beginning of the year this year.

Kevin Harvick said via Happy Hour podcast.

Further talking about the point, the future Hall of Famer pointed out that the No:5 team always had the issue of inconsistency over the years. This is majorly due to the fact that they have better prepared cars in the start of the years, compared to the rest, considering the standard he has set for himself with his dominant runs over the years.    

I think that, for whatever reason, their cars are always better prepared at the beginning of the season. They’re still well prepared at the end of the year, but they don’t have that advantage that it seems like they have to start the season, with the speed that they seem to have.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kevin Harvick is concerned about Kyle Larson’s chances

In the same conversation, Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on the HMS driver’s performance at Indy. He pointed out that the veteran was a contender for win the whole, but it had more to do with the strategy from the team, not the pure speed.

Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick (Via @KevinHarvick/X)

So, I think that’s as good as Larson has run in a while, and he was a contender all day. They had a good strategy, and all of those things. That’s a great team.

Kevin Harvick said.

His crew chief Cliff Daniels has been string with his decision making during the struggle and his crew hard work is getting the result they deserve the last few weeks. But this resurgence hasn’t been enough to convince Kevin Harvick that the team will step up their game when it demanded of them in the coming races.

I mean, Cliff [Daniels] and all of those guys who work on Larson’s car do a great job. So, they’ve righted the ship, but can they do it when it counts.

Kevin Harvick added.

Kyle Larson should focus his focus to producing solid performance in the coming four races of the regular season. He should learn from his teammate Chase Elliott who has been securing consistent point finishes as the season progressed.  

If he can continue performing on the same level, in the coming weeks, the team will have the momentum they need in the playoffs. Consistent front row finishes will be the key for Kyle Larson, if he wants to win the second Bill France Cup of his career.

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