Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Kyle Larson Interview after his win at Homestead | VICTORY LAP

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

After an incredible weekend at Homestead-Miami, Kyle Larson sits down with Kevin Harvick to break down his dominant performance. Larson kicked things off with a Truck Series win on Friday, came close to victory in the Xfinity race on Saturday, and then sealed the deal with a Cup Series win on Sunday. He shares insights on his grueling triple-duty weekend, what makes him so strong at Homestead, and how this momentum sets him up for a run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Me at HomeSept to me feels very similar like you at Atlanta. As far as the pressure goes, I don't really feel like I put any added pressure on myself to win. I think that pressure is there to perform well and perform well throughout the whole race. Well, Kyle, you had a pretty impressive weekend. I know that you probably wanted to get to Victory Lane three times. But talk to me about your Sunday performance because to me, this is a situation that is dangerous for the rest of the field for you to grind out a scenario. like that, put yourself in position, you're never a guy that gives up, but to be able to grind

that win out with not the best car and put yourself in victory lane, that had to be pretty rewarding. Yeah, I mean, it definitely felt good for sure. You know, typically at Homestead, you know, for years, it's kind of played out the same where I get to the lead and I check out and all of that. But yeah, for this phrase, I feel like if I could ever maintain the lead, It could have been like that, but I just was never able to get to the lead, you know, and maintain it early in the run. So it's so difficult to pass there in an action car. So, yeah, that third stage I was kind of just riding behind Bubba and it was just kind of waiting for the green flag cycle to start. And then that didn't happen because Blaney blew up, which, you know, was probably beneficial to me because it made that final run.

extra long. So I know that I need long runs at Homestead to really stand out. And yeah, that final run just, yeah, just tried to maintain where I was at, you know, fell back a position more than I wanted to be, almost got passed by Denny. But was able to hold them off. And I think that was really a key because, you know, it allowed me to have a big gap to the 19 once I got clear of Denny again and I could just get to running my own pace and rhythm and have some pressure air on my car and get my tires back underneath me and then start charging forward. So, yeah, it was neat to, you know, win a race like that where you really feel like you can kind of, you'll carry the car a little bit, you know, an abrasive surface like that. So, yeah, a proud race for me and cool to, you know, get a win back, you know, that I feel like I've lost so many there before. What kind of pressure do you put on yourself? I know when I went places that you expected to win. It's just a different mindset going into a place that you just feel like you should win. Every time we went to Atlanta, I'd walk in there and I'd be like, well, I know that we should just absolutely demolish them today. And if we don't, it's a disappointment. Is that if you don't win, like on Saturday, I could see your frustration from not winning the race. Is that how it is for you at Homestead? Because from the outside looking in it, it looks like you should just win.

in every race. Yeah, no, I would say my, you know, me at home said to me feels very similar like you at Atlanta. You know, everybody knew like I was your competitor at Atlanta and I knew going there like something miraculous was going to have to happen to beat you. So, you know, I would imagine you were very confident going there and, you know, as far as the pressure goes, I don't really feel like I put any added pressure on myself to win. or anything like that, but I think that pressure is there to perform well and perform well

throughout the whole race. So for Sunday, for instance, you know, like me not leading many laps, like I was getting kind of frustrated at that because I'm just so used to, you know, leading the most laps there. And I was not able to ever get to the front enough to lead those laps. So it was definitely difficult to kind of overcome the mental frustration that, you know, from me being used to dominating there all the time, but I think that's what made it more rewarding to win that. And then, yeah, Saturday was obviously disappointing,

you know, not winning when another homestead race I dominate, but I was proud to have, you know, a 17-second lead before the final questions. It is pretty cool. It is pretty cool in today's day and age to be able to lap that far up in the field. that's not easy to do, but it definitely seemed like it was, seemed like it was on its way to a win. When you look at those three vehicles, you look at the truck race, the Xfinity car, and the cup car, what was the most difficult thing to adapting to each one? Which one gave you the most trouble to say, oh, I need to drive this so much different than what I'm used to?

Well, yeah, that's a good question because on Monday, you know, I've had to do some competition meetings and stuff. and it's like, it's hard for me to like think back because every car and truck drove differently. So, you know, I had to really like sit down and think about the balance that I had. So there was definitely, you know, adjusting to each of them, driving style-wise. Like the truck, for instance, was really, really loose and built really loose. So we had to keep working on it. And then, you know, I finally got to the wall and got comfortable up there. it felt actually really comfortable, probably the most comfortable against the wall in the truck.

And then, yeah, the Exfinity car was the opposite, like, really, really tight. And we had to free that one up and finally got to a point where, you know, I got comfortable with that. And then was able to maintain the lead and then really, you know, play to my strengths, which was, you know, just being consistent at the wall. And then the cut car was kind of all of those balances. You know, just a little bit too much out of the track on the short run. more so to the tight side. So with that being said,

like, yeah, it kind of takes a different driving style on all of them because of the balance of the cars and truck, but it takes a different driving style because they each, you have different downforce levels and drag levels and horse power and all that. So the drivers that you're racing race differently and their lines that they run in front of you are different. So it's constant adjusting to and it's fun.

I really enjoy it. It makes a challenge. and you're cool to try and go to a place that you are comfortable at, but also learn each time you're out there. So you're going to do that anymore this year? Are there any other opportunities where we're going to see two, three races, truck racing, Xfinity racing? How many more?

Yeah, I don't know if it's been announced or anything yet, but I'm doing Bristol as well. So I'm excited about that. I hope I don't get in trouble for spoiling anything if it hasn't been out. But yeah, I'm doing Bristol. So that will, that'll be fun, but I think that'll be tougher, you know, than Homestead just because the truck, I feel like if you don't, you know, qualify well, it's difficult to make your way forward because there's a short race and the top has yet to come in and all that sort of stuff. But hopefully, maybe in the field, you know, we can get the track opened up a little more for that race and can go forward. I know there's some good drivers there, though.

So, yeah, and then Xfinity, I feel confident, I feel like, for Xfinity there. And then the Cup car, yeah, we're always really good, too. So we'll see. But same with Homestead. Like, the competition just gets tougher and tougher as the weekend goes on. Well, it's impressive to see you go back and forth between all those vehicles and adapt to them. And it was a great weekend at Homestead. Any sprint car stuff this week?

Where are we racing this week? Not this week. I'll go to Vado, New Mexico. on April 1st. So I believe that's next week. And then, yeah, after that, I don't really know. My schedule gets busy. I'll be doing a ton of Smirk racing this year, though.

So I'm excited about that. You got to tune in to High Limit the other night. They were your track out there in California. Good little show out there, good crowd. So cool to have Kevin Harvick's name on a dirt track. It's pretty sweet. Yeah. Yeah, well, that's probably the most successful thing

that my name will ever have happened on a dirt track. So we enjoyed seeing the high limit your series and everybody come visit for the first time at Kern. So look forward to that in the future. Congratulations on a great weekend and good luck the rest of the year. Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you.