Kevin Harvick poses major 'extra speed' question for Hendrick Motorsports ahead of the 2025 season

Kevin Harvick recently shared his thoughts on what Hendrick Motorsports need to focus on in the 2025 season. The former Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver, who drove for HMS in 2024 as he was filling in for Kyle Larson during the All-Star weekend, pointed to what Mr. H's team needs to do to maximize their success.

During a recent episode on the Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick predicted that heading into the 2025 season, the favorites are "the usual players". He then focused his attention on HMS, predicting that the team would "come out strong".

Harvick was asked about his top contenders and teams for the Daytona 500 to which he replied:

"I think that the unique part about the Hendrick group is, can they find that extra speed in the second half of the year and not just maintain what they have in the first part of the year? Because last year we had the Fords really make up a huge competitive disadvantage ... not disadvantage, they were just off, they were just slow, and they had a new car," Harvick elaborated. [18:15 onwards]

The former #4 driver spoke about the interesting part about the 2025 season, the fact that there hasn't been a lot of change in the off-season. Harvick pointed out that heading into the new season, all cars are relatively unchanged from the season before.

He mentioned that if NASCAR asks a team or all the teams to change something substantial on the car in the winter, it begins to show early on in the season.

Harvick further spoke about Joey Logano and how not going back-to-back yet in his career "might tug on him" a little. Having said that, he mentioned that Team Penske winning the last three Cup titles and their supremacy at Phoenix makes them "a dominant team" with the Next Gen car.

"I think Hendrick will come out strong again and just, can they finish the year winning that championship with the right speed? (It) is going to be the question," he added.

Kevin Harvick backs Team Penske youngster to be this year's Daytona 500 winner

Picking his bet for the upcoming Daytona 500, Kevin Harvick pointed to the 2023 Cup champion Ryan Blaney. He said that the Penske driver is "a good superspeedway racer" who has proven his pedigree on the plate tracks over the years.

It's worth mentioning that Blaney has three runner-up finishes at the "Great American Race".

“I think he has enough experience now. And I know he's won the championship, but winning those marquee races in those big moments and taking him to that next level of superstar, I just think that time is coming,” Harvick described.

Kevin Harvick mentioned that this year might be the one where Blaney seizes his opportunities and grabs the "marquee races" in "big moments" to elevate his aura as an established driver in the series.