Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Kyle Larson Interview

Episode Date: November 3, 2025

Kyle Larson joins Kevin Harvick after winning his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship, and he is still processing the magnitude of it all. Larson explains the emotional rollercoaster of the title race, how shocked he was to even be in position after the chaos unfolded, and breaks down the critical moments including his flat tire and the move that changed everything after the caution. Larson reflects on his entire season, how he approaches planning his schedule, and why this championship means so much to him personally. Kevin and Kyle also discuss what this title means for Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, and Larson shares how special it is to bring another championship home for the organization. 0:00 - Intro 0:41 - Kyle Larson Joins The Show! 1:26 - Emotions Of The Race 4:04 - Cliff Daniels’ Leadership 6:37 - Evolution Of The 2025 Season 8:40 - Tires At Phoenix 10:20 - Opinion On Playoff Format Changes 11:52 - Championship Celebration 13:24 - Planning Season Schedule 16:02 - Winning For Hendrick Motorsports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2,025 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson. I can't believe I'm here, honestly, right now, talking to you as a champion. Can you shotgun a beer like that? I can't even sip a beer, dude. To be with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, I love that I've been able to reward him for taking a sacrifice on me now with a second championship. Welcome to Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour, presented by NASCAR on Fox, and we are delighted to have our 2025 NASCAR Cup.

Series champion. Kyle Larson joining us. Congratulations, Kyle. What a, what a day. Yeah, dude. Thank you. No, it was, it's wild. I mean, obviously, yeah, how the whole kind of race transpired for us and especially the last 10, 15% of the race was crazy. So, yeah, I can't believe I'm here, honestly, right now talking to you as a champion with how our race was going. But regardless, just pumped and proud of the team. It was pretty amazing. When you're going through the, really, you know, this weekend is a little bit different than the rest of your weekends. You have the extra practice day and then you come back and qualify. You have all that time to think about it and you get into the race.

What was the, what were the emotions like? I mean, you had the, you had the flat tire, you had got a lap down, you came back, and then it comes down to a second two tire call there at the end of the race. What were the emotions like in the car? It had to be. be at some point it had to be, man, we're out of this thing. And the next thing you know, you just show up and you've got track position with a couple laps to go. Yeah. No, I mean, I think for me all weekend, I felt good about things and thought we had a good practice. We qualified good. I was feeling good about it. And then you kind of, as soon as the race started, I was just like, oh, no, we're, we're pretty average here. And it's going to take

a lot of hard work to try and win. But then I still didn't foresee our race playing out at all like it did, you know, with having the bad pit stop, falling back to 18th, actually had a good restart, got back inside the top 10, and that led into the flat tire. When I got the flat tire, I was like, dang, like, we're definitely done now, you know, I'm probably going to lose two laps here, and somehow he stayed, you know, one lap down in front of leaders, and then the caution came out right away, and I was like, okay, we're going to get back on the lead lap here. We're still not completely dead, but I feel pretty close to dead because I'm slow. and now I'm on a disparity with tires.

And then, yeah, I just didn't make any ground up, really. And then, yeah, I honestly, I wasn't even thinking two tires, the initial two-tires stop we did. And, like, right as I was turning the stall, they said, you were taking right sides. And I was like, oh, my gosh, we're just completely desperate at this point. This is going to be embarrassing. It's like, I hope I just don't crash the field on this restart.

Truly is what I was thinking. And then I went through one in, two and I had a lot of grip and I was like, man, I might get to the lead here. And then, you know, my mindset changed, you know, obviously I fell back to fifth or whatever, but still had some hope then that if we got a caution, you know, maybe we would take right sides again. And yeah, that's what happened. And, you know, our team and I were on the same page about taking right sides. And I just, you know, that first rep at it gave me a lot of confidence leading that final restart

that I was going to have the grip I needed to. do the restart that we had and, you know, hopefully edge out Denny. Well, you look at the, you look at the, just your career, you were rookie the year in 2014, and now you're a two-time champion. And, you know, I think when I look at your team in particular, I've been fortunate to kind of have a little glimpse inside of the team at the All-Star race a couple years ago. And when I, I hadn't been around Cliff that much. And when I listen to the leadership and just his approach and everything that goes with that, it seems like in the car, you're constantly just, okay, whatever, I believe in you. And so talk

to me about how that leadership and his role and what you guys do, I think a lot of people don't really understand just how the crew chief has progressed in today's racing to be what they are. It's a 24-7 full-time job and a therapist at the, at the same time. Just talk about how that relationship has evolved and what it means to what happened yesterday and really everything that you've done up to this point. Yeah, no, it's, I mean, he's the greatest leader, I think, in our sport as far as crew chiefs go. And, you know, he's just great for me. He keeps me motivated. He keeps all of us motivated and energized all the time. And I would say, yes, our relationship and our careers have evolved with each other over the course

of the five or so years we've been together. His leadership has really evolved over the course of really last two or three years. He's always been a great leader, but I feel like he's put a huge emphasis on leadership skills and what it takes to lead a team and lead individuals to be the best versions of themselves. And so, yeah, I'm very proud of him for finding the time, really, to work on himself like that. And I would say, you know, the work that he's put in really put us in this position throughout the playoffs to win a championship and then especially the race yesterday.

So there's just a lot of hard work. And, yeah, I think the crew chief of today definitely looks much different than it did a decade ago, especially in the next-gen style of car. I think it's just really about, you know, the best teams, I think, have the best leaders on top of the pit box. And thankfully for me, I think I have the best one in the whole garage. When you look at your year, you guys fired off really well. You got to Indy, kind of stumbled a little bit through the summer there, and then kind of got back on track. Talk to me about where you got back on track, because I felt like, I'm just guessing here, just from the outside looking in.

When I look at St. Louis, it seemed like, okay, kind of got some of that speed back that they had at the beginning of the year. Talk about the evolution of your season and just the speed at the beginning, kind of the flat spot, and where it turned around. Yeah. Yeah, we had a ton of speed. I think the schedule sets up really well for me, typically the early part of the season. It's a lot of mile and a halfs and Bristol is thrown in there. and Homestead was in there, you know, this year, early in the year. So the schedule is naturally set up well for me.

And then, but then, yeah, you know, I had the double stuff and just my confidence got down and then tied in with, I think, our car, you know, performance kind of taking a slight dip. And then, yeah, we just kind of lived in that, you know, realm for a little while. And for us, I think the turning point was Darlington, which led into Gateway. but Darlington, all four of us just were really bad. And, you know, that's not typical for us to be bad there. That's usually one of our best tracks as organizations. So I think that just really opened everybody's eyes at Hendrik Motorsports.

Like, okay, we've got a problem somewhere that we've been overlooking. And, yeah, they dug at it all week and kind of learned or, you know, where they thought we were off. And then, yeah, then we took that and implemented it at Gateway the next week with a new short track package. And us, you know, at least with the five team, were super fast and had a great weekend going. We didn't finish well, but we had a lot of speed. And then from that moment on, I would say I had a lot more confidence that was like, man, I think if we can get to the final four, we're going to have a good shot at Phoenix. But Phoenix was still a normal Phoenix for me. I was still very average, but at least I had more confidence going into it.

Well, the good news is you don't have to go back to Phoenix next year. You get to cycle that into Homestead, which you're not so average at. You're way above average there. So you get to make that run at Homestead next year. We saw a lot of tire issues yesterday. And in my opinion, I like where Goodyear is going. I think that the things that we've seen this year are a great evolution. and the steps that they need to take and can refine that.

I hope they don't go backwards. What's your opinion on where they've been with the tire? I always, I guess my experience in the past has been the teams want to push, push, push, and I'd rather there be some tire failures and some tire wear out. Where do you sit on what we saw yesterday? Yeah, I think another crack at it, too. I think crew chiefs will get to a point where we wouldn't have tire failures, and we would get to see longer runs with the tire wearing

and the pace falling off even more. So yeah, I agree. I think they're headed in a much better direction. I think it's a harder tire to get a feel for, at least for me. You know, I still am trying to learn the softer tire. And I think that's why a big part of why I think I struggled yesterday was just my lack of feel for it. But yeah, I think it's good.

Um, even Bristol. You know, I, I didn't, I didn't hate Bristol this time around. I think it's a little bit extreme, uh, of tire wear and, and there's really not a whole lot of tire management that you can do. Um, but yeah, I applaud good year and, and them for, you know, doing what they're doing to get a better tire. And I think now, I think you'd agree if we could get stage racing out. I think we would see even better, you know, strategy and better runs and, and a mix of, of

things going on throughout the race. So you look overall, it seems like there's a lot of changes coming within the sport. We talk about the point system. We talk about tires. We talk about next-gen cars. Is there that one thing at the top of your list? You're like, if I was in charge for a day, I would focus on what? Yeah, good question.

I don't know. I mean, I think obviously because we are in the playoff era and just experienced what we all experienced yesterday, I think the format, which has already been, you talked about changing for a while now, especially this year, I think, and I don't know what the format would be that, you know, we may potentially have, but I think a format, you know, mix up would be good for our sport. I think there's a way to keep it exciting or make it even more exciting while also, you know, crowning, you know, the fairest or more fair champion. So, yeah, I think that's what we all, probably look to see. Sure, you know, I think the more horse power is a step in the right direction. I don't know if it's going to, you know, make as big a changes as we all hope. But I applaud NASCAR for looking at, you know, how we can make the racing, make the series, make it all more exciting.

And, yeah, so it was just a work in progress, I think, as we have this next-gen car, you know, it's kind of next-gen everything. When you got done last night and I saw a video of your wife shotguning a beer. First, can you shotgun a beer like that? No, I can't even sip a beer, dude. I struggle. I don't like beer at all. Well, she's definitely good at it.

How was the celebration last night? Did you guys have anything fun? No, we had a good time. Cliff stayed out of the ER this year, so that was good. That's a plus. Yeah. Yeah, but no, it was good. It was, I mean, you've won a championship, and you won yours on the East Coast,

so, man, it was probably super late when you got done. But, yeah, you know how long it takes. So it's, gosh, probably twice as long as the race is the post-race stuff. So, yeah, by the time we got out of there, I think it was like 10.30 and got to the house for staying in and showered, got some in an out-burder, and headed straight for Old Town Scottsdale. So it was good, you know, it was more than just the five-team was out there. all the champions actually ended up being out. So Jesse Love was out there.

Corey Heim, even Connor Zillich, even Denny. Denny came out too. So that was really cool. And yeah, some people from NASCAR. So it was a good group and everybody had a good time. Well, I remember pieces of my NASCAR Cup celebration. And I had a Budweiser sponsorship at that time. So there were 80 cases of beer in Victory Lane.

So as you can imagine, that was definitely a different celebration. When you look at everything that you manage, this is the part that always intrigues me about you. You have sprint cars, you have IndyCar, you have NASCAR. What do you do at the beginning of the year? Do you sit down and say, okay, here's where I'm going to race around my cup schedule? Do you have a certain number of races that you want to race? How do you plan your schedule? Because it's as intense a schedule as you could possibly.

put together. Yeah, it is. And then you, I mean, you also got to factor in like my kids schedule, too. So I try to get to those when I can. So it's, I'm at the racetrack a lot. But, yeah, I really enjoy, you know, the offseason when, when obviously NASCAR has put their schedule out. But, you know, when they start getting these dirt racing schedules out, I get a whole

spreadsheet going of, you know, all, all the races I could run throughout the year. year, which is usually over 100, and then I kind of start weeding some out and whatnot. But I'll be honest, the last couple of years I've probably done too much, and I do get a little bit burnt out in the summer. So I'll probably try to dial it back a little bit the best I can. But it's also tough because I want to compete at a high level in everything I do. And there's a lot of big sprint car races that I can run throughout the year. And I want to be prepared for those. So it's like a fine, a hard balance of, you know, how much I compete so we can get our car better and stay competitive with those guys and fresh and also not taking focus away from the NASCAR side of things.

And then also balance in the family. So it's tough, but I'll probably tweak my schedule a little bit next year, but still you'll get in 30 sprint car races, which is a lot, but maybe, you know, not 50 that I have on my schedule before the season starts. Well, the good news is they changed the limit of races for the Xfinity or whatever it's called next year. I'll call it the Grand National Series and the trucks. So you can do more at the same racetrack instead of having to go somewhere else. Yeah, no, I'll probably, I don't think I'll be able to get to the limit on the Xfinity side. I think we're all going to share a car like we typically have done. But yeah, I picked out a few, so I'm already excited about whatever that series.

is called next year too. But yeah, no, it's fun. I enjoy doing that stuff. I enjoy, you know, getting a race really whenever I can and especially the tracks that I enjoy. So, yeah, I look forward to that and look forward to getting to do all the races that I get to. All right. Last question. You drive for arguably probably the most famous, one of the most famous owners that has ever blessed this sport with his commitment to what it is. You went through all that you went through, you come to Hendrick Motorsports, you've won two championships. What's it like to work for Rick Hendrick and be able to have every asset and resource and go race all the cars that you want? And Rick and Jeff and everybody believe in what you do away from what they do, which is a 180

from where they were when Jimmy Johnson was there. What's it like just to work for Hendrick Motorsports? Well, I mean, it's amazing and it's a blessing that, you know, I even got back to the Cup Series, but to be, you know, with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports and, you know, he's the ultimate leader. And I think that's why he attracts so many great employees and workers for him, not only in motorsports, but the automotive industry. It's just he's a, he's a humble person. you always feel like he cares a lot about you.

And I appreciate that and love that. And yeah, he gives you all the resources that you need to do the best possible job you can. And he's implemented the right people in all the right places. And he's just built the ultimate empire. So I have loved my time there. I love that I've been able to reward him for taking a sacrifice on me. now with a second championship. And, you know, to hang another banner there with all the history and legacy that they've had at Hendrick Motorsports is amazing.

So, yeah, I've loved my time there. And I hope to, you retire someday down the road at Hendrik Motorsports with a lot more wins and championships. But, yeah, right now to this point, it's just been a dream come true. And I'm so grateful and thankful. Well, you're going to get a lot more wins and more championships. you're a two-time Cup Series champion. So congratulations. I hope you enjoy every minute of it.

Don't forget to do that, which I know hopefully you won't do, but enjoy it all, take it all in, and have a great offseason, and I appreciate you taking the time today. Yeah, thanks a lot, Kevin.