Kevin Harvick singles out Kyle Larson's team as clear standout in 2024 going into Olympics break

Kevin Harvick has made a bold claim after the Brickyard 400 race, praising Kyle Larson and his team #5. The NASCAR legend called Larson and his team one of the best on the grid, during episode 45 of his “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour” podcast with Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith.

Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports team #5 have been on a roll this year. With four wins, 11 Top 10s, nine Top 5s, and five pole positions, they have managed to dominate for a large part of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series. The 2021 Cup Series champion, along with his crew chief Cliff Daniels have largely been able to nail the strategy, allowing for consistent results every weekend.

Their teamwork was visible at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where both Larson and team #5 were able to play a more aggressive strategy, despite a few setbacks in the race. The Brickyard 400 victory also put the Californian driver comfortably ahead of his rivals in the drivers' standings as well.

These points regarding team #5's clever strategy were also highlighted by Harvick on the podcast. During the conversation, Vincie questioned the one-time Cup Series champion regarding Kyle Larson's battle through the Brickyard race to claim his fourth crown jewel win of the season.

"You look at every race now, there's going to be strategy involved in it. There's going to be moments that change the direction of the race and your car is going to have to have some sort of capability to do things that everybody else couldn't," Harvick replied, explaining how strategy plays an important role with next-gen cars (10:55 onwards).

"At the end of that race their strategy put Larson in position to do things that everybody else wasn't able to do. Everybody in front of him was saving gas. They were too disadvantaged on tires. He found a very unique way to enter the corner and go through the center of the corner to put himself in position to make passes and ultimately everything fell his way," He further added (11:07 onwards).

Here's a look at the podcast clip from YouTube:

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A brief look at Kyle Larson's Brickyard 400 race weekend with Hendrick Motorsports

Learning from the setbacks at the Chicago Street Race and Pocono Raceway, 2024 championship leader Kyle Larson was able to make amends at the Brickyard 400. The 32-year-old driver was able to clinch fifth place in the Qualifying session at the IMS.

During the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver kept his cool during the first half of the race, ending Stage 1 in second place and Stage 2 in 20th position. On lap 123, crew chief Cliff Daniels took the call to pit the California-based racer for fuel.

Although he lost the lead, more fuel meant Larson was soon able to recover positions, as others around him were in fuel-saving mode. This late-race pit stop allowed Kyle Larson to gain over 20 places in the third and final stage to claim the top podium spot.

Currently, he is leading the driver's table with 749 points, marginally ahead of Chase Elliott (739 points) and Tyler Reddick (734 points).