It’s been a rough stretch for Kyle Larson this summer. He has three wins on the season, but it’s obvious the No. 5 Chevrolet team isn’t operating to their usual standard at the moment.
After a last-place finish at Watkins Glen, Kevin Harvick is beginning to get a little concerned. He spoke about the attitude of Larson, and Hendrick Motorsports as a whole at the moment, and how it could contribute to the team’s turnaround.
“This is a typical Hendrick Motorsports type of attitude. You heard it out of William Byron last week after they won that race. They have a great way of managing the downs to be able to keep everybody motivated, everybody engaged,” Harvick stated, via the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “No matter how many times that No. 5 car has been in a garage, you see those guys under the hood, digging, trying to fix the car to get back out on the racetrack. Now, they’ve gained two or three points by getting the fastest lap. They get the car back out on the racetrack. Obviously, you don’t want to have the issues going to the racetrack from a mechanical side, but this team’s not been at the level that they want to be.
“Now, the No. 24 didn’t have the finishes that they want, but they had the speed. I haven’t seen the speed out of the No. 5 that I’ve seen out of the No. 24. I see that as easier to motivate your guys around. But Hendrick Motorsports has a great way of navigating the downs to be able to keep their people engaged and motivated, just from good business practices more than anything, and management and good leadership.
“So, that’s the part — I think they’ll show back up at some point, but it hasn’t been great. … I think when you look back at it, it’s still — the issues started at Indy. I mean, you can definitely point back to where the slump started. They obviously haven’t got out of it yet.”
Since the debacle that was Larson’s attempt at The Double in 2025, he has only three top-five finishes. Additionally, he has five finishes of P28 or lower since the Coca-Cola 600, as well. That’s not what we’re accustomed to from Larson.
Kevin Harvick recognizes you can’t ever count out the No. 5 Chevrolet team. Still, it’s a concerning trend for Kyle Larson. He’ll be hoping to turn his season around a bit this weekend at Richmond, a track where he’s won twice.
