“In today's world, you're measured by how much you win”: Kevin Harvick reveals the “pressure” that pushed Chase Elliott to shine at Bowman Gray

NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick recently shed light on HMS driver Chase Elliott's triumph in the pre-season Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday. Harvick believes that the constant need to win acted as a huge motivator for Elliott's victory ahead of the 2025 regular season.

Former Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, driving the #9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, delivered a dominant performance at the historic Winston-Salem facility on Sunday. Elliott won his heat race, started the Clash from pole position, and led 171 of 200 laps in the exhibition event, briefly surrendering the top spot to JGR's Denny Hamlin before reclaiming control.

In the latest episode of Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, the former Cup Series driver expressed his thoughts on the current competitive state in the Cup Series, and how one's relevance as a top driver is 'measured by how much you win.'

"When you look at their results last year and everything that they did, it was very consistent, right? And I think in today's world you're measured by how much you win and the way that you win is being consistent and putting yourself in position. I think that road back to that consistency of winning for those guys you know could hopefully be this year, right?" Harvick said [20:00 onwards]

"I think know Alan (Gustafson) and Chase you know, they've been around the noise for a long time. I don't think that they did anything different I think that when the momentum starts to go your way, it's a real thing[...] It's not easy to do it in this car. You can get off track really easy, but there is nothing better than starting the year with a Clash win or a Daytona 500 win to just get that momentum right off the bat," he added.

Harvick remains one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers, with a career spanning multiple divisions. The 2014 Cup Series champion recorded over 800 starts and 60 wins at the sport’s highest level, including a Daytona 500 victory. Additionally, he captured two Xfinity Series championships, further cementing his legacy in NASCAR history.

Meanwhile, the Cup Series will return for the Daytona 500 on February 16 at 2:30 PM Eastern time. Catch the race live on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM.

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Kevin Harvick delivers his honest take on new Damaged Vehicle Policy rule

In the previous iteration of the Damaged Vehicle Policy rule, towed cars were disqualified, with NASCAR officials making the final call. The revision ahead of the 2025 season allows teams to assess whether a towed car can continue, giving them a better chance to repair and rejoin the race.

Recently, Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts on NASCAR’s updated DVP rule and backed it as an improvement from the previous, controversial version.

"I'm glad NASCAR doesn't have to be in the middle of it anymore. Because they weren't going to win. They were not going to win the argument whether it was right or wrong. The teams know what they can fix and what they can't fix and, and, you know, being able to get the car back out on the racetrack is better than NASCAR deciding what's wrong," Harvik said.

Several other changes have also been introduced, such as the Open Exemption Provisional, and the removal of rookie stripes, further shedding light on the changing atmosphere of the sport.