Kevin Harvick championship analysis has taken center stage as the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season sees Hendrick Motorsports battling at the front, with William Byron emerging as a strong title contender alongside the highly competitive Kyle Larson. This shift comes as the team faces renewed challenges on intermediate and short tracks, highlighting vulnerabilities that could define their championship prospects.
Hendrick Motorsports Faces Midseason Setbacks
Hendrick Motorsports started the 2025 season with intensity, quickly entering a gripping battle for the championship lead. Kyle Larson and Hendrick’s youngest contender battled week after week, each seeking victory and staying close in the point standings. However, their performances on the critical intermediate and short tracks, such as Loudon, exposed persistent weaknesses that allowed Penske’s Fords to dominate and left Hendrick’s Chevrolets trailing in key races. The significance of the team’s struggle became particularly evident after a 301-lap challenge in New Hampshire, putting pressure on their postseason campaign.
Harvick Focuses Spotlight Away from Larson
After the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, attention in the garage turned sharply to Hendrick’s postseason shortcomings. No Hendrick car managed a top 10 in the Southern 500, with only Chase Elliott delivering a 17th-place finish for the team. In contrast, the Joe Gibbs Racing squad capitalized and swept all three important playoff races in this stretch, further highlighting the gap to the leaders.
Amid these performances, the Chevrolet powerhouse found hope in William Byron’s resurgence during the New Hampshire race, where he finished third after having previously posted middling results of 21st, 11th, and 12th at Darlington, Gateway, and Bristol. This top-three run marked a turnaround for Byron, leading former champion Kevin Harvick to redirect the spotlight. Harvick noted Byron’s growing edge over Larson, stating,
“I think St. Louis and you talk about the test and some of the things that they did with their short track programme found them some speed, it didn’t find as much speed as the Penske cars found.”
– Kevin Harvick, Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Discussing the relative strengths within the Hendrick camp, Harvick emphasized,
“But the No. 24 (William Byron) has been consistently better, the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) has been better, he had some glimpses this weeks, of speed,”
– Kevin Harvick, Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion. He further assessed the performance gap, adding,
“I still don’t see the same speed and dominant car out of that No. 5 car that we saw at the beginning of the year, that we’ve seen last year.”
– Kevin Harvick, Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
William Byron Shows New Promise
Looking ahead, Harvick pointed to the next major test for Hendrick—the race at Kansas. As a key intermediate circuit, Kansas will serve as a measuring stick for the team’s improvements and their quest to address performance inconsistencies. Harvick’s assessment continued with measured optimism when he said,
“I’m more impressed with the No. 24 car, to be honest, as far as their consistency of speed, I think they’ve been better than the No. 5. So, still don’t see it out of the No. 5 but the No. 24, I tend to lean towards thinking that they’ve a little of life with how close they are now.”
– Kevin Harvick, Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
Byron’s third-place effort at New Hampshire Motor Speedway broke through a significant barrier at one of his most difficult tracks. Previously, Byron’s best finish at the Magic Mile was just 11th, but this season he delivered steady practice times, a strong qualifying position, and ultimately his best-ever result at the track. As pointed out by crew chief Rudy Fugle, this performance was critical for the No. 24 team, marking a turning point at a crucial stage in the playoffs.
Championship Race Tightens Heading into Kansas
As the championship race enters its next phase, William Byron now sits in second place in the overall standings, closely shadowed by Kyle Larson in third. The renewed speed from Byron’s team, combined with Kevin Harvick’s analysis, positions Byron as a new central figure in Hendrick’s championship push. For Chase Elliott and the rest of the Hendrick lineup, the pressure mounts to deliver consistent top results as the series moves to Kansas and beyond.
The coming intermediate-track contests—key strengths for Penske and challenges for the Chevrolet camp—will likely be decisive. The performances at Kansas, and whether Byron can repeat or improve his latest form, will have major consequences for Hendrick Motorsports as they continue their search for that elusive championship breakthrough. Kevin Harvick’s insights underscore a shifting dynamic in the garage, suggesting that Byron could be the Hendrick driver best positioned to disrupt the Cup Series pecking order this year.
