Kevin Harvick makes his feelings known about the final lap caution at Atlanta

Despite the backlash on ending the Atlanta race under caution, Kevin Harvick supported NASCAR's decision. He believes the race officials did the right thing to prioritize the safety of the drivers at the expense of a thrilling three-wide finish.

Kevin Harvick is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion with 60 wins under his belt. After retiring in 2023, the Californian joined the Fox Sports broadcasting crew as an analyst and started hosting the Happy Hour podcast.

In the podcast's latest episode, Harvick understood fans wanted to see the three frontrunners take the fight to the finish line but argued safety must be prioritized. However, the 49-year-old called for more consistent officiating on throwing caution on the final lap.

"People wanted to see that the drivers race back to the checkered flag but there's really no way around throwing the caution. We can't have the guys driving through wrecked cars and debris fields," Harvick said.

The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver claimed NASCAR should've thrown the caution on the final lap of the 2025 Daytona 500 but instead let William Byron defend the lead all the way to the checkered flag.

"The Daytona 500 should have had the caution thrown, and unfortunately, those are just the things that are going to have to happen to keep the drivers safe. I know it would have been better if we were consistent about it," he added.

Kevin Harvick also recalled Austin Dillon's massive crash at Daytona in 2015 where drivers didn't let off the gas on the final lap before concluding:

"This one (final lap caution in 2025 Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta), I felt like was done right."

During the final lap of the Atlanta race, Kyle Larson was in front of the field until Christopher Bell snatched the lead from the outside. Carson Hocevar squeezed himself in the middle to form a three-wide reminiscent of the closest three-wide photo finish from last year's spring race around the 1.5-mile track.

However, the race officials threw the yellow flag after Josh Berry crashed behind the leaders, which meant the end of the contest. When the caution came out, Bell was ahead of Hocevar and Larson, respectively, to win his first drafting-style race.

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Kevin Harvick shares pick to win in 2025 Circuit of the Americas race

Kevin Harvick signs a diecast car - Source: Imagn

In addition to the controversial caution at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick touched on his pick to win the next race at Circuit of the Americas. The NASCAR legend went for the defending COTA winner William Byron, saying the Hendrick Motorsports star has the "early season mojo" to win the race.

Harvick told his Happy Hour podcast co-hosts Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith:

"I’m going to take William Byron. I think that he just notoriously has the early season mojo to get into victory lane. Has done well on the road courses. So I'm going to go No. 24.” [1:01:11]

Meanwhile, Vincie and Smith picked Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, respectively.

The 2025 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at COTA is scheduled for March 2 at 3:30 pm ET. Fans can tune in to the TV coverage of the 95-lap road course race on Fox Sports.