Love it or hate it, but the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix had all the drama you need from a finale. You could love it for the kind of show it put on, whether it was the 16 lead changes, Denny Hamlin’s dominance, or Ryan Blaney’s win. Or hate it, for the tire issues, and Kyle Larson to ultimately steal the title win in the last minute. Just like everyone, Kevin Harvick, too, witnessed both sides of the spectrum watching the race at home.

Good or bad, whatever it is, Harvick found the event interesting. He acknowledged that the Goodyear tire was the star of the drama in the race. But aside from all other things, Harvick was not happy with the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s fifth failed attempt at the title, and he expressed his most sincere feelings about him while dissecting the race on his podcast.

Kevin Harvick really feels for Denny Hamlin

Chatting on his podcast with co-hosts Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, Harvick addressed the title winner first as he said, “Happy for Kyle Larson, he beat the system that is in place, the Championship format that is in place, and won the championship, just as our other two champions did.”

His stance on the winner is clear. Despite being a strong critic of the current playoff format himself, Harvick wisely kept those issues aside and respected Larson for beating every obstacle in his path to ultimately come out as a successful champion on the other side. The same goes for Corey Heim and Jesse Love, who won their debut titles in the Truck and Xfinity series, respectively.

But then he addressed the elephant in the room. That dramatic and painful loss of the JGR’s No. 11. “I feel absolutely gutted for Denny Hamlin, I think that with everything that they put together this year. The dominant car that they had in the final event and so many other events. Knowing the scenario with his dad and everything that is happening for him.”

Whether you love or hate Hamlin, no one can deny that when it comes to form, Hamlin had the best one at Phoenix, on the day it mattered the most. He did everything a finalist aiming for the win should do: lead laps, drive the fastest lap, win a stage, and lead the playoff pack. He did all of it.

And it wasn’t just this race alone; Hamlin did this the whole year. This race was actually a mirror of how Hamlin’s entire 2025 season has been. Plus, this time, Hamlin wasn’t racing for just himself. He was doing it for his ailing father, Dennis Hamlin, wanting him to see his son bring home the final piece of the puzzle in his legacy. It is not one but all of these reasons why Hamlin’s loss stings all the more to Harvick, making him feel “absolutely gutted,” as he says.

Harvick then pointed to the contrasting feel of the pit road after the race ended. He said, “Two totally different emotions after the race, and talking to people that were there, it was like this side of pit road was super happy and filled with excitement. This side was somber and just devastated.”

Hendrick Motorsports couldn’t be happier, as to be honest, they weren’t even expecting Larson to pull this off, including Larson himself. Team boss Rick Hendrick said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been (as) excited in all the 15 as I was (tonight) because I wasn’t expecting it, I thought it was over and then all of a sudden here we were.”

And as sunny and bright this side of the camp was, the Joe Gibbs Racing team mourned. There was just silence, and tears. Hamlin, aside from being totally mute and numb, could do very little to handle his weeping partner, Jordan Fish, and his daughters. His crew chief and others came to him, turn by turn, to console the title runner-up.

However, this wasn’t all that Harvick decoded. He broke down the primary cause of the race’s chaos, which also caused the twist in the climax for Hamlin — the Goodyear tires.

Harvick’s judgment on Goodyear

Harvick laid down a very objective view of the tires. He said, “When you look at it and when you look at all the tyre failures, which I think Goodyear will go down that road in a little bit. I think they’re still on the right path, as to what the industry is asking, what the fans are asking, everybody is asking for, out of the tyres.”

He agrees that Goodyear is on the right track in terms of improvement, and they’re listening to their fans, the industry, and everyone. That being said, he also acknowledged the number of tire failures that happened in the Phoenix race, which ultimately also hampered the title result.

“I was sitting at home, watching with my family and they said, ‘Well, it’s over. Denny Hamlin kicked their butt all day, had by far the fastest car.’ Ultimately I told them the race was not over. Somebody is blowing a tyre before we get to the end of this race because its a little shorter run.

“Everybody is going to put everything right on what they think is the ragged edge of not blowing a tyre. Ultimately it was William Byron that blew a tyre which same scenario, right? He was just going to put it right on where he thinks the edge is and it was not meant to be, for the #24 bunch.”

According to him, Goodyear is trying to make more aggressive tires that wear and create strategic differences. What this is doing is that it’s making the drivers test the edge of its durability, often waiting for the very last moment to change their tires. Some passed, but some drivers, like William Byron in the race’s final moments, failed.

So, while Harvick is happy that they’re improving, Goodyear needs to consider these high risks and continue working on them. And as a side learning, after seeing the scene at Phoenix, the drivers would also like to be more cautious to go safer and earlier for their tire changes.