As NASCAR barrels toward the playoffs, Kevin Harvick’s commentary has started to carry the weight of a driver who knows where speed and consistency actually collide. For much of the season, Hendrick Motorsports with Kyle Larson and William Byron looked like the team to beat. Yet Harvick’s recent reflections show a shift in confidence, exposing cracks in Rick Hendrick’s supposed dominance.

Instead of locking in on Hendrick’s stars, Harvick has turned his attention elsewhere. What emerges is an intriguing endorsement of a Joe Gibbs Racing driver he believes may weather the playoff grind more effectively.

Harvick identifies the cracks in Rick Hendrick’s armor

Breaking down the playoff contenders on the Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick addressed the two Hendrick Motorsports standouts, Kyle Larson and William Byron. Both entered the postseason conversation as heavy favorites thanks to their speed metrics across the first 26 races, yet Harvick introduced a note of caution.

“I still look at the playoff standings, and I look at Larson and Byron concerned,” Harvick admitted, his tone reflecting more hesitation than celebration. The concern lies in trajectory: Larson opened the season with what Harvick described as “ground pounding speed,” but lately has settled for finishes that lack the same decisive edge. Byron, meanwhile, has managed flashes of brilliance but has been “hit or miss,” alternating strong runs with mistakes that undermine consistency.

For Harvick, those inconsistencies matter enormously within NASCAR’s elimination-style playoff system, where ten weeks of performance are broken into three-week cutoffs. Under this structure, a single misstep, a pit road penalty, a crash, or an untimely mechanical issue, can undo an otherwise dominant season. “It’s gonna come down to mistakes,” Harvick emphasized. “It’s gonna come down to mistakes on pit road, it’s gonna come down to wrecks, it’s gonna come down to who makes less mistakes.”

That shift in emphasis reframes the conversation around Hendrick’s apparent dominance. Speed rankings and regular-season points may elevate Larson and Byron on paper, but Harvick sees vulnerability when pressure is applied in October and November. His analysis underscores that championships in the current format are rarely about compiling lofty averages; they are about surviving without costly blunders in critical rounds like the Round of 12 or Round of 8.

It is in this context that Harvick introduced Christopher Bell as a name to circle. While the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has not wielded the same sustained dominance, Harvick pointed to Bell’s potential to “just show up and put together ten weeks.” He revealed that Bell was actually his preseason championship pick, noting, “That was my championship [pick] at the beginning of the year… I think they can do it.”

Harvick’s commentary highlights a fundamental contrast. While Rick Hendrick drivers carried the reputation of being unstoppable early, their margin for error appears to be thinning. Bell, often overlooked due to streaky results, represents the kind of methodical competitor whose run can suddenly crystallize once the reset button of the playoffs is hit. For Harvick, that alone makes Gibbs’ camp — and Bell in particular — a more intriguing bet than merely trusting in Rick Hendrick’s reputation.

Kevin Harvick questions the legitimacy of racers

Harvick recently also stirred controversy by questioning the championship legitimacy of fellow drivers Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, using their careers to spotlight what he views as a major flaw in NASCAR’s playoff system. NASCAR’s format—where a single race can decide the title after a season-long grind—has long been debated. As Denny Hamlin once said, “One race shouldn’t be bigger than the other 35 races,” highlighting concerns that the current system rewards a momentary hot streak over consistent excellence.

Harvick’s main criticism comes from his belief.  Harvick stated, “I don’t think the best car has won. You know, since we don’t think the best car has won the championship. I’m just calling it a car, okay, because in order to have a car, you got to have the best driver to win the championship.” He further added, “You got to have the best driver and the best team put together right to win a championship and but I don’t. I don’t know that the best car for a full year has won the championship in this format all the time.”.

He points out that sometimes, a team or driver who dominates all season loses the title due to one bad day, as happened to him in 2020 despite nine wins and leading more than 1,500 laps. His frustration is shared by legends like Mark Martin, who called the playoff format “a flashy gimmick” that doesn’t reflect reality, as only four cars are truly in the championship hunt while the rest just fill the field.

Harvick called into question Kyle Busch’s 2015 championship, since Busch missed 11 races due to injury but still won after getting a medical waiver. Harvick stated, “I don’t think you should be able to miss that many races and still be eligible to win.” He emphasized that missing many races should disqualify one from championship contention.

Regarding Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 title, Harvick noted, “Johnson won by default because the other three guys wrecked.” Johnson led only a few laps but ended up the champion due to the final race’s chaos, which illustrates the randomness Harvick sees in the current format. For Harvick, a NASCAR champion should be defined by full-season excellence, not just peaking at the right time or getting lucky in a single race.