Kevin Harvick Says Pressure is Rising for Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson

The Big Picture: Only Seven Races Left Before the Chase

Imagine a video game where you must be in the top group to play the final levels. In NASCAR (a type of stock-car racing), that final tournament is called The Chase (the playoffs). With only seven races left before The Chase begins, veteran driver Kevin Harvick says he sees the pressure building for the Hendrick Motorsports team (a big group of drivers and cars) and especially for Kyle Larson.

Here are the key things to know in kid-friendly terms:

• Kyle Larson is the reigning (defending) NASCAR Cup Series Champion — he won the big trophy last season.
• But right now, he is in a 43-race winless streak — that means he hasn’t crossed the finish line first in 43 straight races!
• People are wondering: can he regain the magic form that led to him winning the championship last season?
• Harvick believes Larson and his team need to make a strong push (big effort) to get back to winning.

On his Happy Hour podcast (listen here), Harvick shared his thoughts:

“We still haven’t seen a Kyle Larson-dominated race this year. I mean, we’ve seen those moments where he’s been leading laps when all the other guys are having problems on the day when he’s running decent.”

Simple speak: Larson hasn’t completely taken over a race yet. He’s led some laps only when others struggled.

“But we’ve not seen all four Hendrick cars show up and be good. It just seems like every week it’s one or the other that is off. And it’s not like they were way off, but it just hasn’t all lined up for Larson.”

Meaning: Hendrick has four drivers. Some weeks one is fast, another is slow. They haven’t all been good at the same time, which hurts Larson.

“And the fact that the streak without a win is as long as it is, is pretty wild. Talking about our [reigning Cup] champion, I thought by this point they would have it figured out.”

So Harvick is surprised the champion’s team hasn’t solved the problem yet.

Important: A 43-race winless streak for a defending champion is super unusual! Usually, they figure out how to win way earlier.

Promising Weekend at Chicagoland

Next, let’s talk about the recent race at Chicagoland Speedway (a track in Illinois) called the eero 400.

Even though Larson had a small crash-like moment — a spin (when the car slides and turns around) on lap 92 — he was running in the top‑5 (among the first five cars) at that time. The race results for Hendrick drivers were pretty good:

• William Byron and Alex Bowman finished in the top‑5.
• Chase Elliott finished 11th, which rounded out a solid day for the team.

Harvick noticed improvement:

“Now I think that they were better. It’s the best I’ve seen William Byron run all year. Byron led a lot of laps and did all the things that he needed to do this weekend to start getting back in the real conversation of winning races.”

“Chase Elliott, you know, was in the mix this weekend. The 48 of Alex Bowman ran good, but 48 has been the most inconsistent. But 24 isn’t far behind. You know, as far as the inconsistency of where they’ve been all year.”

Quick note: Car numbers are like jersey numbers. #48 is Bowman, #24 is Byron. Harvick says both have been up and down all year.

He then asked:

“But is this where they’re going to wind up? And now we’re going to a super speedway again at Atlanta. We’ll see.”

A superspeedway is a very large, fast track. Atlanta is the next stop.

Pressure Mounting at Hendrick Motorsports

Before going to Atlanta, here is how the standings (rankings) look for the Hendrick drivers:

1. Chase Elliott – 5th place (safely inside the cut line*)
2. Kyle Larson – 6th place (safely inside)
3. William Byron – 12th place (safely inside)
4. Alex Bowman – 29th place (outside the safe zone)

* What’s a cut line? Think of it as a red line on the leaderboard. If you are above it, you qualify for The Chase; if below, you might miss the playoffs.

Even though most of the team is safe for now, the push to win is growing. And the pressure isn’t just from the boss, Rick Hendrick. Harvick pointed out that Rick’s wife, Linda Hendrick (Mrs. H.), might be even tougher!

“Well, the other thing you got to remember too is Rick does not like to lose,” said Harvick. “Rick is a winner, and he is, I guarantee you, pushing the buttons, but his wife [hates] to lose worse than he does.

“There is a lot of pressure on those people in that race shop to get this thing fixed and be able to put themselves in victory lane.

“There were definitely signs of things that from the weekend.”

Victory lane is the special spot where the winning driver celebrates.

Why the pressure is high (numbered breakdown):

1. Larson is the champ but hasn’t won in 43 races.
2. The team hasn’t had all four cars fast at once.
3. Rick Hendrick is a competitive owner who hates losing.
4. Linda Hendrick arguably hates losing even more!
5. They showed some good signs at Chicagoland but need actual wins.

Summary

To wrap it up: With seven races until The Chase, Kevin Harvick believes Hendrick Motorsports — especially Kyle Larson — is feeling the heat. Larson, last year’s champion, is stuck in a 43‑race winless streak. At Chicagoland, the team showed promise (Byron and Bowman top‑5, Elliott 11th, Larson running well before a spin), but they need to turn promise into victories. Most Hendrick drivers are currently safe in the standings, but the whole team wants to get back to victory lane, with pressure from both Rick and Linda Hendrick pushing them forward.

FAQ (Beginner Questions)

Q1: What is NASCAR?
A: It’s a sport where modified street‑looking cars race around tracks at high speeds. The Cup Series is the top level.

Q2: What is “The Chase”?
A: It’s the old name for the NASCAR playoffs — a set of final races where the best drivers compete for the championship.

Q3: Who is Kyle Larson?
A: He’s a race car driver who won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship last season but hasn’t won a race in the last 43 tries.

Q4: Why does a 43‑race winless streak matter?
A: Because he is the defending champion; fans and experts expect him to win more often. It shows his team is struggling to line up everything perfectly.

Q5: What is Hendrick Motorsports?
A: It’s a racing team owned by Rick Hendrick. It has four drivers: Larson, Byron, Bowman, and Elliott. They are like a company squad all trying to win.