Before the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, [autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] announced that Kevin Harvick will drive the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car during practice and qualifying on All-Star Weekend. It was a significant moment, as Harvick retired from full-time racing in the Cup Series before moving to the FOX Sports booth in 2024.
Following Larson’s second-place finish at Dover, he spoke to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass about Harvick replacing him. Was Larson surprised that Harvick took up the offer? Not really.
“I wasn’t surprised that he said yes or whatever, just cause who wouldn’t want to say they got to drive a Hendrick Motorsports Cup car,” Larson said. “No, I wasn’t surprised, just happy. I know there’s a lot of kinda hoops probably to jump through on everyone’s part. I’m excited to have him be a part of our team for a practice session and get to kinda see how we work a little bit and hopefully work with [crew chief Cliff Daniels] to get our car even better.”
Larson will practice and qualify for the Indianapolis 500 on All-Star Weekend, so his focus can’t be in two places. Therefore, Harvick will return to the Cup Series and help the No. 5 team led by crew chief Cliff Daniels. Hendrick Motorsports could have gone in several directions, but few could have been better than Harvick.
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