Harvick, who retired from full-time competition in the Cup Series at the end of last season, was asked by Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick if he would run Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet in All-Star Race practice on Friday at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
Larson was taking part in Indianapolis 500 practice on Friday but will return to run in the All-Star Race main event on Sunday night.
Harvick, who spent his entire Cup career at two organizations – Richard Childress Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing – said working with HMS in preparation for this weekend has been “eye-opening.”
For one, Harvick spent Friday wearing a white fire suit adorned by a HendrickCars.com logo, which seemed vastly out of place. Harvick has spent the first half of the season as an analyst for Fox Sports’ NASCAR broadcasts.
“It’s definitely not the attire that I thought I would be wearing this year, but it’s been a fun process,” Harvick said. “I think, you know, sometimes there are phone calls that you react to differently than others.
“When Rick (Hendrick) called and said what he needed and I said, ‘OK’ and everybody at Fox was kind enough to let us take the day to do what they needed to do. So, it’s been a fun process to be able to go through.”
Go time 😎 @TeamHendrick pic.twitter.com/m02iXCvyhA
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) May 17, 2024
Harvick said SHR was nice enough to provide him with his seat and seat rails which helped make the fitting process of his seat in the No. 5 much less complicated.
“This is this is really more for just trying to help those guys out in a scenario and I think they were just looking for somebody that that had had been in the (Next Gen) car,” he said. “This car is a lot different.
“It’s very, very different to drive than a Xfinity car or any of the other cars that that you would run. We’re really just having a good time with it.”
Harvick said the preparation Hendrick has put into just his 50-minute practice session was impressive.
“How the guys have approached it with something that is literally for a 50-minute practice, but we’ve approached it like we’re going into a race weekend because they want to do everything they can do to get Kyle prepared to come from the back of the pack to try to win the All Star Race,” he said.
“So, it’s been very methodical with the way that that they’ve gone about everything. I’ve done all the team meetings and been in the simulator and done all those things as we’ve led up to it like they were like they were preparing for the race so. Hopefully, I can do my part.”
SHR vs. HMS
Asked what, if anything, struck out to him between the SHR and Hendrick organizations from his experience so far, Harvick quipped, “I mean, I heard from the owner twice in two weeks. So, that’s different.
“Just the race shop and the structure and the way that that everybody goes about it differently. I think the thing that sticks out for me about Hendrick Motorsports in general is it’s truly run like a business that is a part of an actual structure of how things flow and who you talk to.
“There’s just the depth of the business side and the racing side is deep. I think that that is pretty eye opening just from the structure of the whole thing.”
If it is his final opportunity in a Cup car, Harvick said he is appreciative of the brief experience with HMS.
“I was very fortunate to have a very, very good race team Stewart-Haas. It’s just, you know, fun to kind of get a look, a peek behind the curtain,” he said.
“You know, I think that that Kyle is very good at whatever he races. But Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) is also very understanding of the fact that he’s off racing other things and how they talk about things and the way they go through things is impressive.”
